


To Preserve or Raze

by WhiteCeilings



Series: To Preserve Or Raze 'Verse [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Best Friends, Big Three Shenanigans(TM), Camp Jupiter (Percy Jackson), Canon Universe, Canon-Typical Violence, Children of the Big Three (Percy Jackson), Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Flashbacks, Frank Zhang is a good bro, Friendship, Heavy Angst, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, Jason Grace & Percy Jackson Bromance, Jason fucks his way through both camps but guess what, Kidnapping, M/M, New Rome (Percy Jackson), POV Frank Zhang, Panic Attacks, Past Abuse, Percy Jackson is a Mess, Post-The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pre-The Son of Neptune (Heroes of Olympus), Prisoner of War, Recovery, Suicide Attempt, Swordfighting, Trauma, we SUPPORT HIM
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-23
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:46:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 32
Words: 139,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27168122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhiteCeilings/pseuds/WhiteCeilings
Summary: Percy is captured during the Battle of the Labyrinth and held hostage on the Princess Andromeda for the following three years. Only then does Nico turn 16, becoming the child of the prophecy and defeating Kronos. Shamed and humiliated, Percy doesn’t alert his old friends at Camp Half-Blood that he’s alive, instead turning to his father to protect him. Poseidon sends him to the onlyothersafe place for demigods like him-- Camp Jupiter. There, he befriends Frank, who has a habit of taking in outcast demigods like him. Tensions rise as camp gets a new demigod Jason Grace, Son of Jupiter, who bears the uncanny resemblance to the person who made Percy’s life miserable for all those years.Includes all of your faves (but make them bisexual), a deep dive into the politics of Camp Jupiter (and the woman whomanipulatesruns them), and a long-held secret with the potential of destroying both camps. Currently updating 1-2 times a week, and the endgame relationships are a secret, because why bother having political sex scandals if you know who ends up with who?
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Jason Grace & Frank Zhang, Jason Grace & Percy Jackson, Jason Grace/Percy Jackson, Jason Grace/Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, Other Relationships, Past Luke Castellan/Percy Jackson, Percy Jackson & Frank Zhang
Series: To Preserve Or Raze 'Verse [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2067894
Comments: 1399
Kudos: 982
Collections: Storycatchers' Stories of the sea





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warnings for General Bad Feelings, attempted suicide (non-graphic), canon-typical violence, notable cussing, etc.

Frank didn’t really know what to make of Percy Jackson. He’d been assigned his mentor for his first month of residency in New Rome, and after that they’d remained close, but still, there was so much he didn’t understand about the kid. 

Well, ‘kid’ probably wasn’t the right word to use. Percy was 18, so only a year younger than Frank, but at times he seemed younger. Maybe it was the way he held himself, like he was trying to make people look past him, or it could’ve been the way he struggled with basic things, asked stupid questions, got nervous at random moments. Sometimes, Frank just wanted to wrap Percy up in a blanket and hide him away from the rest of the world, because damn, at times the kid just really looked like he needed it. But then, at other times, Percy spoke up and shared a weird sort of wisdom that made him seem much, much older. He had his nervous ticks, but he was fully capable of talking with confidence, and actually didn’t mind public speaking. One morning, Percy could apologize so sincerely to Frank for taking too long in the shower that he looked like he was on the verge of tears, and that same afternoon he could get in a fight with the literal  _ Praetor _ and not bat an eye. 

That wasn’t the weirdest thing about Percy. He was also the son of Neptune (first generation,  _ seriously _ ), which meant he was supposed to have crazy powers, except… he didn’t. He dried off after a shower pretty easily, yeah, but that didn’t exactly count as a power. 

Not that Octavian seemed to know that. “There is a con in our midst!” He’d shout, shaking a disemboweled teddy bear in Percy’s face with righteous indignation. “Jackson is a liar, and a scam! He is not to be trusted!”

Though Percy and Praetor Reyna got in conflicts constantly, this was one area where she would stand up for him. “Octavian, give him a break. He’s just a kid; he’s never done anything to you.”

“He’s never done anything  _ to _ me?” Octavian questioned dramatically. “Or he hasn’t ever done anything  _ for  _ me? I have sacrificed many bears over my altar, and all of them say the same thing. They speak of horror, danger-- they speak of an unfulfilled prophecy. Tell me, Perseus-- if that even is your real name-- what quest did you go on and never leave, what duty have you failed?”

Frank and Praetor Reyna had ended up both having to grab Percy and hold him back before he could tear Octavian’s head off like one of his stupid stuffed animals. It shouldn’t have been that hard, since Percy was skinny-- like, problematically skinny, like the wind spirits were trying to fatten him up skinny-- but he had a vicious streak. 

“What was that about?” the praetor asked Frank later that night, when Percy was safely tucked away in his dormitory to toss and turn the night away. 

Frank ran a hand across his forehead, feeling the beginning of a stress headache coming up. “Honestly? I don’t know.”

The praetor gave him an assessing look. “What’s his story? I mean... what did he do before this?”

_ This again.  _ It was the same question that Frank had found himself asking on a near constant basis ever since meeting Percy, but in their months of cohabitation, he’s never found any answers.

“I don’t know,” he admitted, “But if I had to guess… I’d say he’s a victim of abuse. Maybe his parents, maybe… I don’t know. But there’s definitely something there.”

The praetor gave him an assessing look. “He’s never talked about it?”

“No, praetor.”

She shook her head, sighing. “You can call me Reyna.”

“Frank,” Frank responded, feeling a little warm inside.

“I know. What, you think I don’t keep track of my legionnaires?”

Frank grinned a little. “I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t.”

Reyna stood, offering Frank a hand up. “I have to get going, but keep an eye on Jackson for me, yeah? I want to make sure… I don’t even know.”

“I get it,” Frank said, meaning it. He understood feeling protective over Percy, even if he didn’t know what he was trying to protect him  _ from.  _ “And I will.”

He kept an extra close eye on Percy after that, especially when Octavian was around. But Percy didn’t get violent again, and as per usual, he let nothing slide about his past. Eventually, he resorted to asking questions straight out, which went something like this:

Frank: Hey Percy, where’d you used to live?

Percy: I moved around a bit.

Frank: Where to?

Percy: The city, the country for a little while. Back to the city.

Frank: Which city?

Percy: Does it matter?

Or this:

Frank: Hey Percy, have you ever fought a monster before?

Percy: Why do you want to know?

Frank: I don’t know, I was just curious. I’ve fought a couple, but I want more practice. Maybe we could see about leaving camp for a little while--

Percy: You can leave camp, I’m staying here.

Frank: Why?

Percy: I’m not a fighter.

Or this: 

Frank: Hey, did your mom ever, like… hit you, or something?

Percy: Hit me?

Frank: Yeah? Like, it’s pretty common among demigods, especially children of Olympians. I was just, you know, wondering.

Percy: No, I… I know that. Some mortal parents just can’t handle it, they get violent or… go crazy, start talking to stuffed animals…

Frank: So did your mom?

Percy: Did my mom what?

Frank: Talk to stuffed animals?

Percy: Huh? Oh, no,  _ my  _ mom didn’t. 

Frank: Did--

Percy: I don’t want to talk about this anymore. Do you want to go to dinner?

They went to dinner after that last conversation, and for some reason the wind spirits brought Percy a stack of blue pancakes, complete with blue syrup. Percy didn’t touch them.

In the end, Frank didn’t know whether he was helping or harming by prying. If Percy didn’t want to talk about it, there was probably a good reason. And, as time went on, Percy seemed to be doing better. He talked to more people, got in less fights, started participating more. He still never fought when they played War Games, which was just as well because they still hadn’t found a weapon that was balanced right for him, but he did start participating in the strategy sessions. He was good at it-- like  _ shockingly _ good. Frank wondered if it was a Neptune thing, but he couldn’t figure out how. If it  _ was _ a Neptune thing though, Frank got it; he understood what it was like to have a cool godly parent and get only the sucky powers. 

All in all, things seemed to be going pretty good for Percy… until Jason showed up, and threw everything into chaos. 

Frank didn’t understand why Percy hated Jason’s guts so much, but he really really did. At first, he’d thought the two of them would bond, seeing as they were both children of the Big Three, but as soon as Percy saw Jason his expression curled into a snarl. Percy hated Jason on a  _ personal _ level, an  _ intrinsic  _ level. He didn’t seem to be able to help it, and no matter what Jason did, nothing changed. They were in the same Legion, but Percy acted like they were sworn enemies, and treated him as such. They quarreled constantly during the War Games, which was made worse by the fact that they had very different fighting styles. Jason liked maneuvers that were very traditionally Roman, and Percy, well, didn’t. 

Still, that was manageable, up until they clashed--  _ hard _ . They were in the middle of a War Game reminiscent of Capture The Flag, which Frank liked even if Percy, inexplicably, seemed to hate it. Jason and Percy were working together to steal one of the five banners, with Percy carrying the banner, since he didn’t have a weapon, and Jason covering him. They’d just climbed down the side of the fortress and only needed to run back to the center line without getting stabbed to get the point, when Jason yelled something incomprehensible over the wind. Frank had been playing defense on the grounds by their fortress, but he stopped to watch his teammates, just in case they needed him to help cover them, so he saw when Percy’s face went slack, and he froze. He said something back to Jason, who called back, not paying much attention. In an instant, a three foot golden blade appeared in Percy’s hand and he was swinging at Jason’s exposed back. Only his god-given instinct saved him, and Jason ended up dodging just in time, but Percy wasn’t done. Frank had never seen him sword-fight before, but clearly he had, because within moments he and Jason were entangled in a battle unlike any Frank had ever seen at camp. Jason was easily one of their best swordsmen, if not  _ the _ best, but he was barely able to keep up with Percy as he dodged and slashed, furious. 

Before Frank knew what he was doing, he was dumping his bow on the ground and sprinting across the field, completely oblivious to the fighting around them. Something was very wrong, he knew without a single doubt. As questions raced through Frank’s mind (Where’d Percy learn to fight like that? Where did that sword come from? Why did he never fight in the war games when he clearly could?) one thing was clear: Jason was fighting to defend his life, and if something didn’t change  _ fast _ , Percy  _ would _ kill him. 

And he almost did. Percy got one good slash in across Jason’s chest, and Jason called out, the sky crackling with thunder above them. Percy raised his sword again in what would’ve been a lethal blow, but before he could Jason threw his hands up and blasted him backwards with wind. Percy crashed against the side of the fortress, head snapping back against the stone, and he collapsed to the ground, injured. 

Frank slowed to a jog now that he was closer to the scene, not sure what to do. Around him, the rest of the fighting had completely ceased as everyone was watching the fight with worry, some casting nervous glances to the storm clouds gathered in the sky. This wasn’t a normal event for the War Games.

The look of utter fury in Percy’s face was gone, but it’d been replaced by something else, his eyes darting around wildly. They glanced right over the banner, which had been discarded carelessly on the ground, and landed on Percy’s sword, which lay only a few feet away. 

“No!” Jason said, right as Percy lunged for it. Jason leaped right after him, and Frank thought they were about to keep fighting, but instead it turned into a grapple. Frank didn’t understand what was going on until he realized Jason had abandoned his own Imperial Gold blade on the grass, and Percy was trying to bring his sword down on his own neck. 

They scrambled, both fighting like dogs, and screaming like them. Their words were indecipherable, but the emotions behind them were clear: Percy was screaming with desperate rage, and Jason was yelling from pure panic. Finally, Jason slipped his armored forearm in between Percy’s blade and Percy’s neck, and pried it away, throwing it far to the side. He pinned Percy by his shoulders, but in a last ditch effort Percy wrapped his hands around his own neck and squeezed. 

Frank had never seen anything quite like it, and he never wanted to see it again. Jason fought Percy’s hands off, taking far too long, fighting to save Percy’s life as Percy fought to take it. But in the end, thankfully, it was Jason who prevailed, peeling Percy’s hands off and pinning them brutally in the dirt above his head. He leaned over him, knees planted at his side and weight lowered over his stomach, ankles crossing over Percy’s thighs to keep him down as Percy kept fighting. “Stop fighting!” Jason yelled, pleading. “It’s not worth it! Jackson, snap out of it!  _ Jackson! _ ”

He lowered his head and started talking to Percy, and finally, it was clear who had won the battle. Percy went limp, but still Jason kept him pinned, talking lowly so only Percy could hear. 

Frank came closer, and cringed when he saw the tears dragging down Percy’s face. Slowly, Percy started sobbing, chest heaving, and Jason got off of him as it devolved into a full-blown panic attack. 

Frank dropped by his side, grabbing him and pulling him close, partially to give him something to hold onto, and partially to shield him from the onlookers. Percy still often tried to hide his smiles, Frank knew that he wouldn’t want his fellow campers to see his tears. 

It took a long time for Percy to settle down, and then he buried his face in Frank’s shirt, still shaking as Reyna marched over to them, demanding “What the hell happened?”

“I think this would be best to discuss in private,” Jason said, face pale and grim. He was bleeding from the gash Percy had given him across his chest, and Reyna’s eyes landed on his bloodied clothes. 

“You’re right. You, Lucas, go find me a medic and have them meet us at my office. Everyone, the War Games are over, we will discuss what happened in the morning.”

***

Once at Reyna’s office, Frank and Percy were left to sit in a side room while Reyna went with Jason while he was stitched up. By this point, Percy had completely stopped crying, and seemed mostly back to normal, if a little more closed off than usual. Frank didn’t blame him: not ten minutes before, the kid had attempted suicide. 

They sat on a couch together, with Frank hunched forwards worriedly, and Percy with his knees pressed up to his chest. For a few minutes, they were quiet, until finally Frank couldn’t stand it anymore. 

“Dude,” he said, and Percy let out a laugh that sounded almost like a sob. 

“Wow, I really just am that fucked up,” he said under his breath, looking like he might start crying again. 

“ _ Dude _ ,” Frank repeated. “What-- why-- why  _ Jason _ \--”

Percy shook his head, looking down at his knees. “He… it’s so stupid. He just looks like someone I-- used to know.”

He said ‘used to know’ like some people say ‘used to date’ or ‘used to care about’. Frank felt something deep in his chest ache sympathetically. 

“He does?” He questioned gently.

“Yeah. They have the same blond hair, the same frame, fuck, even some of the same habits. Both think they’re hot shit.” He laughed again, this one bitter. “Both right, too. I-- fuck, I hate being like this. I just-- every time I see Jason, I think it’s L-- but I know it’s not, I  _ know _ he’s not, he can’t be, and besides, they don’t even look that similar. It just-- it’s hard, it’s so fucking hard--”

Just then, Reyna and Jason entered the room, and Percy stood. Reyna put an arm in front of Jason, as if she expected Percy to lunge for him again, but he didn’t. Frank watched Jason swallow nervously. 

“I’m so sorry,” Percy pleaded. “I-- Jason, I’m so--”

“Are you okay?” Jason interrupted, stepping forward past Reyna. He didn’t get too close to Percy, but he did line up with him, looking him straight in the eyes. “I don’t mean injuries, I mean--”

Percy nodded, wiping away another tear before it could really fall. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t-- I got stuck in my head. I wasn’t thinking.”

Reyna glanced at Frank, looking concerned, and Frank stood, clearing his throat. “Percy says he thought Jason was someone else. Someone-- from his past.”

Percy ducked his chin, pressing his lips together. 

“Percy?” Reyna prodded. “Who did you think it was?”

He shook his head. “Please don’t make me say.”

“I’m more worried about the second part of the fight,” Jason said, and Frank realized he wasn’t the only one who wanted to wrap Percy in a blanket burrito and keep him safe forever. “What happened at the end, why did you try to--”

Percy smiled bitterly. “Like I said, I-- thought you were someone else. I know better now, though. It won’t happen again.”

Reyna crossed her arms. “I agreed to let you stay here without knowing your past, even against the advice of our Augur. But you’ve forced my hand, I can’t reasonably let you stay here without knowing about your past.”

“Then kick me out,” Percy said, eyes narrowing. “My experiences are my own, my  _ trauma  _ is my own. If that upsets you, then fine, I’ll fucking leave, but this is New Rome, not-- not where I’m from. I don’t have to tell you shit.”

With that he turned and marched from the room with the confidence of an actual god of Olympus-- damn him, this is exactly what Frank meant. How could someone go from having a panic attack in one moment to mouthing off to the leader of New Rome in the next.

Frank made frantic eye contact with Reyna, who gestured for him to follow him, looking more flustered than he’d ever seen her. “I’ll talk to my advisors, figure out where to go from here. Just stay with him.”

“I promise I will,” Frank said, and chased after the Son of Neptune. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked the chapter! If so, please comment and let me know what you thought, and if you have any theories. I'm excited to hear your reactions!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I am the queen of updating :D
> 
> Timeline notes:  
> -This story takes place between The Last Olympian and the Lost Hero, though in this verse Jason and Percy, obviously, don't swap camps. That also means neither of them have any memory loss.  
> -I fucked with a lot of the characters ages, so be aware of that. If you're curious, Reyna is about 22-26, Frank is 19, Percy and Jason are 18, and most of the younger characters (ones who in the original stories are introduced as about 14) are 16.  
> \- Basically everything that happened in the original 3 books (Lightning Thief, Sea of Monsters, and Titan's Curse) happened in this story too. The canon divergence starts around the time of Battle of the Labyrinth.   
> -Casual reminder that the Great Prophecy is the one that is fulfilled in the original PJO series, and goes as follows:  
> 1.A half-blood of the eldest gods  
> 2.Shall reach sixteen against all odds  
> 3.And see the world in endless sleep  
> 4.The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap  
> 5.A single choice shall end his days  
> 6.Olympus to preserve or raze
> 
> Enjoy! :D

The next few weeks, people acted understandably weird around Percy. The morning after the event, Percy was called into a Senate meeting where the conditions of him remaining in the legion were explained: first, that he was forbidden from participating in the war games until he had his flashbacks under control; next, that he wasn’t allowed to do any weapons training unless it was a personal session with a more experienced legionnaire; and thirdly, that he had to start seeing a therapist. Additionally, if he continued to refuse to inform Reyna on the nature of his trauma, he had to at least submit a list of his triggers. 

He spent half an hour writing the list later that day, and Frank stole a glance at it before it was given to Reyna. The top of the page had the word “triggers” written across it, and under it was only one bullet point: “male demi-gods with short blond hair”. 

Frank almost laughed when he saw it. Sure, seeing Jason in that circumstance had been the only thing to throw Percy into such an aggressive flashback, but Frank had seen Percy’s face go blank on more than one occasion. Percy had a  _ lot _ of triggers, and that list probably should’ve also included swimming pools, certain cleaning products, prophecies, and for whatever reason, blue pancakes. “Blond guys” wasn’t exactly a comprehensive list. 

Frank didn’t say anything about it though, because Percy had made it clear that this was his business, not anyone else’s. Frank had to take a step back from his morbid curiosity and focus on doing right by his friend, no matter how hard it was. Percy wasn’t exactly good at making friends, and Frank didn’t want to do anything to make him distrust him. 

Aside from the half-hearted list, Percy did a pretty good job handling the situation. He presented himself at the Senate meeting without Frank having to drag him there, and even if he needed help wrapping his toga, he stood with his head held high as he was given the verdict. Frank had been allowed at the meeting as well, and though he was paying attention to Percy’s verdict, he couldn’t help being a little in awe of the meeting. Along with himself, Percy, and Jason (who sat in one of the back rows, also wearing an awkwardly wrapped toga) was Reyna, sitting in her Praetor’s chair with the empty one beside it, and Octavian, sitting in a chair off to the side, looking very much like he’d spent the previous meeting getting scolded and threatened into silence, as well as the centurions. There were ten centurions, one from each cohort, and they all looked so…  _ important _ . Frank imagined himself sitting in one of those seats, maybe next to Gwendolyn, the female centurion of the Fifth Cohort? Dakota, the male centurion, had been looking to step down for a while, and Frank had been a member of the legion for the required amount of years. He couldn’t help but think, maybe…

There wasn’t much time for those thoughts after proceedings started, however. Then Frank was too worried about Percy, and the worry didn’t exactly go away once they left the building. All around them, people stopped and stared. Percy gave them no heed, and Frank tried to match his somber expression, his upturned chin. The kid could project confidence like a champ, that was for sure. 

Once they were back into camp from the city, a thought occurred to Frank. “Where did your sword from last night go? And… come from, I guess. Did you have it hidden on your person?”

“Sort of,” Percy said, and pulled a nondescript ballpoint pen from his pocket. Before Frank could question it, he uncapped it and a blade sprung forth, at least three feet of glinting metal. 

“Whoa.”

“Yeah,” Percy agreed. “It returns to my pocket in pen form when I leave it somewhere. It’s a handy trick.”

“No kidding.” Frank watched the metal warily. At War Games, it had looked golden, but now that he was closer it seemed closer to bronze. “That’s not imperial gold.”

“Nah, it’s celestial bronze.”

“You had it before you came to camp,” Frank stated, because he knew the camp armory had nothing of the sort, and if it did, no one would’ve given it to Percy. 

“Yeah. It was a gift.”

“And you know how to use it, obviously. Where’d you learn?”

Percy huffed out a breath. “Maybe I just used it for the first time yesterday, ever consider that? Maybe I’m really just that powerful. Son of Neptune, and all.”

“Oh yeah, the all-powerful son of Neptune. The same one who’s scared of swimming pools?”

Percy snorted, and gave one of his rare little smiles. “Shut up.”

***

Frank spent a lot of time with Percy in the next week, and noticed his schedule being reorganized to make it even easier, Reyna’s doing, he was sure. He didn’t mind. When Percy wasn’t dissociating, or picking fights, or trying to kill the son of Jupiter in the middle of War Games, he was a sarcastic and witty person to be around. He had a weird sense of humor and an even weirder skill set. For some reason, he seemed to know practically every monster out there, though he called them by the Greek names. When asked about it, he shrugged it off, though his eyes betrayed he might not have been telling the full truth. “I learned in high school. Mostly schools only teach the Greek side of things.”

“You’re not wrong.”

However, sometimes Frank managed to shake his Percy duties for a few hours at a time, in which he usually found himself cornered by someone, whether it be Reyna asking if Frank had learned anything new, or a random camper looking for gossip. A couple times it actually ended up being Jason, checking in with genuine curiosity about Percy, but also with general questions for Frank. Frank sometimes forgot Jason was still new to camp, what with the intensely positive reception he’d gotten from everyone. He fit in perfectly, and everyone loved him, especially after seeing how he’d fought Percy. 

“It feels like people are pitting us against each other,” Jason said one day, sounding tired. They were in the armory together, with Jason polishing his sword while Frank cleaned his bow. “They make it sound like it’s supposed to be encouraging, but honestly it’s just… really weird. Like, it was a misunderstanding, he’s not my enemy, and yet they’re making it a whole thing about the two sons of the Big Three being pitted against each other.”

“It’s a good thing Nico isn’t here,” Frank said without thinking.

Jason perked up. “Nico? Who’s that?”

Frank cringed. He hated talking about Nico; the kid creeped him out. “Nico, a son of Pluto. He doesn’t come to camp much, he’s sort of a… free spirit?”

“And he doesn’t get killed by monsters?” Jason sounded way too excited about this. 

Frank shrugged. “Not yet.”

“Hey Frank, are you almost--” Percy said as he came into the room, but stopped in his tracks when he saw Jason. “Hey man.”

“Sup,” Jason said, eying him. He’d been standing, but now that Percy was here he sat, as if making himself smaller for the other demigod’s sake. Frank appreciated the sentiment, even if he was still, secretly, a little worried Percy would go off again. Maybe children of the Big Three just had a death wish. Frank was glad there were only three of them.

And he was standing in a room with two of them, and a fuck-ton of weapons. If children of the Big Three had death wishes, it seemed as though children of Mars were just plain dumb.

Percy and Jason were still staring at each other, and finally Jason raised his eyebrows. “We good?”

“Are we?” Percy asked defensively. “I did try to kill you the other day.”

“To be fair, I wasn’t the only one you tried to kill,” Jason said generously. “I say we’re good.”

Percy swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing. “Sounds good to me.”

They fist-bumped awkwardly, then Percy turned to Frank, seeming slightly less tense now that he and Jason had made amends. “Are you about ready to go? We’ve got that training in 15.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Frank said, moving to put his stuff away. 

“Shit, I should get going too,” Jason said. Frank expected him to put his sword in a sheath or something, but instead he flipped it smoothly, the sword shrinking midair until he caught it in his hand in the form of a golden coin. He looked so genuinely proud of himself Frank couldn’t help whistling. “Where’d you get that?”

“The Armory. Reyna helped me pick it out.”

Frank blinked. “Reyna… the praetor? Praetor Reyna?”

“Yeah?” Jason said, as if it was no big deal that the actual praetor helped him, a  _ probatio _ , pick out his weapon-- or that he knew the praetor on a first name basis, something Frank had just acquired a few  _ weeks  _ ago, despite being a legionnaire for years. 

“Ooh, teacher’s pet,” Percy said dryly, and then “Frank, you ready?”

Frank, who didn’t have a magic compact weapon, looped his bow over his shoulder. “Yep. Jason, see you around.”

“See you around.”

As soon as they were outside, Percy hissed. “They’re going to be fucking by the end of the month, mark my words.”

“What, you think Jason’s her type?”

“Blond, clean-cut, pretty boy? Son of one of the most powerful gods? Of course she likes him. What, do you think she’d like you?”

Frank puffed out his chest. “Maybe.” They were on a first-name basis, after all. And Reyna had been pretty nice to him the other week. “We’re both children of war gods, why not?”

“If you like her, you should shoot your shot. Seriously.”

“Would you?”

“Would I  _ what? _ ” Percy said, petulant as ever. 

“Date Reyna.”

Percy made a face. “I’m done with girls. I got burned.”

“Of course you did.”

Percy scoffed, the corner of his mouth curling in a smile. “Hey, fuck you. You heard what the praetor said, I’m  _ traumatized.  _ You have to be gentle.”

“Yeah, okay. So, what’d a girl do to you?”

“Honestly?” Percy said, gazing meaningfully over to Temple Hill, where it’s sprawling architecture was backlit by the slowly setting sun. “Absolutely nothing. Maybe that’s why I’m bitter.”

***

The next day, a gathering was held at the Temple of Jupiter, where Octavian dramatically proclaimed that the gods were angry. "We have been lax in our sacrifices!" He called out, waving around a shredded Webkinz. "Until we can properly make penance for our ingratitude, we will be haunted by dreams!"

"Oh, wonderful," Percy said from beside Frank. "That's exactly what I need right now." 

"Come on," Frank said, leading Percy away from the crowd by his shoulder. "Let's go make some sacrifices."

"Neptune doesn't want my sacrifices, he hates me," Percy complained, though he let Frank lead him to the market. Frank bought a variety of things to sacrifice, and goaded Percy to do the same, but he refused. “I wasn’t kidding. He doesn’t want to hear from me.”

“Then don’t pray, just burn some stuff for him, let him know you’re appreciative,” Frank said, eyeing some polished arrowheads.

“I’m not appreciative,” Percy said with an exaggerated eye roll, and Frank had to hold himself back from sighing. Sometimes Percy could be such a child. “I’m serious,” Percy said, frowning at Frank’s non-expression. “He wasn’t there when I needed him, and he’s not there for me now. He’d prefer if I were dead.”

“ _ Hey,”  _ Frank said, pulling him to the side, away from the booth they were looking at. The woman behind the counter glanced at them with concern. “Don’t say that.”

Percy pushed Frank back, just enough to put space between them. “I’m not exaggerating. I’m a humiliation. I was supposed to be his greatest pride, and instead I’m his biggest failure, and it’s fine, I get it. He doesn’t want to hear from me, I’m just trying to respect that.”

“You’re not a humiliation,” Frank pleaded.

Percy’s expression darkened. “Don’t talk like you know  _ shit _ about me, Zhang. You know jack shit about my past, nothing, not a single inch of everything I’ve gone through, so just, don’t even try--”

“I know you were abused,” Frank said, desperate to stop Percy’s tangent, to show him that no matter what Percy thought, he  _ saw _ him. He didn’t know the gory details, sure, but he didn’t  _ need them _ . “Percy, I  _ know _ . Look, all demi-gods have issues, okay? You were abused and you have daddy issues out the ass, I get it. I have daddy issues too, okay? You think I don’t wish I had powers? You think I don’t wish I could use a sword or a spear, something more macho than a fucking  _ bow? _ You think I’d be in the Fifth Cohort if I wasn’t a fucking disappointment?”

“Mars is proud to have you as his son,” Percy demanded, “And if he’s not then he’s a fucking idiot.”

Frank jerked his head up to the sky, fully expecting Percy to get struck down by a bolt of lightning for saying such a thing. “Percy!”

“And powers aren’t worth it,” Percy said, shoving his finger against Frank’s chest. “They’re great, sure. You fight a million battles, win every one, start thinking you’re hot shit, and everyone agrees. And then one day, when you need your powers more than ever, they fail you. Your godly parents can’t fucking help you, and then…” he swallowed harshly, looking away. “And that’s when you find out it was all a lie. You were never as great as anyone ever thought, you were just a sham, and now you’re trapped and Poseidon isn’t there to help you, he can’t reach you, and-- and--” Percy choked, squeezing his eyes shut, and Frank grabbed him by the arms before he could fall over. 

“Percy, are you okay?” 

“ _ Two years, _ ” Percy lamented. “If I were Neptune, I’d be ashamed of me too.”

***

Frank tossed and turned at night, Percy’s words getting stuck in his mind, shaking around and trying to form something that made sense. 

_ A million battles… trapped… two years… ashamed… _

_ Poseidon.  _

When he did finally find sleep, it was filled with dreams, just like Octavian said. Frank saw dozens of images shift past him: a huge man standing in the ocean’s surf, leather biker’s jacket splattered with golden blood; an angry girl, lifting an electric spear; a blonde girl, smiling and tucking her hair behind her ear. The images were without sound and without context, but as they kept flashing across his mind, they grew in intensity. He saw girls in cheerleading uniforms bursting into flame, saw a guy with blond hair and glowing gold eyes, saw the slowly-closing walls of an infinite labyrinth. He dreamt he was in a fight with a giant, and he swung from chain to chain, but at the end of each chain were human  _ heads _ , and he was losing the fight, he was losing, and if he lost his friends would die, so he couldn’t lose, but, but--

And then he dreamt of a boat, filled with monsters. He was on the ground, injured, and they were jeering at him, telling him to  _ get up, can’t you get up? Come on, you’re not done yet.  _

Finally, he saw the blond man again, the one with the scar across his eye. He cupped Frank’s chin almost gingerly, like a lover would, except he was standing over him and every single part of Frank recoiled against the touch.  _ Come on, Percy,  _ he said.  _ What have the gods ever done for you? _

Frank woke up to the sound of someone else’s scream, and jolted up, half of his blankets falling off the bed with the movement. He breathed hard, wondering if it was  _ his _ scream, when he heard another muffled shout, and jumped to his feet. 

The scream came from Percy’s room, no surprise, and Frank marched past the living room to get him. One of the other doors in the hallway opened, revealing a rumpled-looking Jason, blond hair sticking every which way, and a pair of thick-rimmed black glasses on his face. “Wha--”

“It’s Percy,” Frank said, surprising himself at the command in his tone. “Go back to sleep.”

“That’s likely,” Jason said, but went back into his room. Frank grimaced, remembering Octavian’s decree from that morning. Likely, no one in the camp would be sleeping soundly tonight. 

He continued on to Percy’s room, not hesitating before pushing the door open and going to his bedside. Percy was laying on his side with his arm over his head, completely tangled up in his sheets, and Frank felt him shiver as he shook him awake. “Hey, hey Percy.”

Percy grunted, then jerked backward, eyes opening wide. “Hey,” he said, not able to quite conceal the panic in his voice. 

“Nightmares?” Frank asked, despite already knowing the answer. 

“Like a bitch,” Percy agreed. “I’m-- you don’t need--”

“You want to watch a movie with me?”

Percy’s shoulders dropped with relief. “Yeah, please.”

They went back out into the living room, and Frank took on the duty of setting up a movie while Percy wrapped himself in a throw blanket on the smaller couch. 

“Sorry for waking--,” he started, half-hearted, but Frank shook his head.

“I was already up. I had nightmares, too.”

Percy scrunched up his face, looking down at his hands. “I used to get useful dreams, stuff relating to my que-- I mean, relating to my life. Helpful stuff, like visions of what other people were doing, or their past, or whatever. But now I just get these same nightmares all the time, and… I don’t know. It makes me wonder if my life has stopped moving forward, and that’s why I don’t see anything new.”

“That’s depressing.” Frank imagined being in Percy’s shoes, wondering if there was anything left for him, or if he’d already done everything he was supposed to do, and now nothing had meaning anymore. 

“It is,” Percy agreed, a few moments too late. “What do you dream about?”

Frank looked at him, wondering how much he should share. “Normally I have the same type of dreams that you described, useful stuff. But last night I dreamed about… well, about you I guess.”

Percy rolled his eyes up to the heavens, and Frank could almost  _ hear _ him cursing out the gods in his mind. “Of course you did, because I get no privacy, even in sleep. What’d you see?”

Frank cringed. “Uh, I saw people from your life, I guess. There was a blonde girl--” Percy winced so hard Frank immediately backtracked, knowing he’d hit a soft spot. “--and, uh, others. I saw a battle, and a boat.”

“Spectacular,” Percy said, completely dry. “Which battle?”

Just like so many others before, those words hit Frank in a different way.  _ Which battle?  _ Like there were multiple to chose from, even though Percy had just gotten to camp a few months before, even though he had never met Lupa, had never been in contact with Camp Jupiter, had never even known about New Rome’s existence.  _ Which battle? How many battles could you have possibly been in? _

Frank hadn’t questioned the dream at the time, but now he wondered, could all of that really be true? The boat filled with monsters, the battle against the giant, other heroes with magical weapons…

Frank realized Percy was still staring at him, waiting for him to answer his question, and he cleared his throat. “There was a giant. I was swinging by chains attached to the ceiling, and at the end of the chains--”

“Were human heads,” Percy finished for him, nodding. “Yeah, I get that one a lot too.”

“Is it-- I mean, was it real? Did you actually--”

“Hey fellas,” a new voice said, and Frank turned to see Jason leaning against the wall casually, looking only slightly less rumpled than he’d been a few minutes before. “Are we talking about our dreams? I’ll get the nail polish if one of you wants to start braiding my hair.”

“Where’d the glasses come from?” Percy asked Jason, scowling with disgust. 

“The eye doctor,” Jason said easily. 

“Why haven’t I seen you wear them before?”

“They’re new?” Jason offered, shrugging. “Also, I don’t wear them when I’m around other people. It ruins the image, you know?”

“I guess we should feel pretty special,” Frank suggested dryly.

“Don’t you already?”

Percy snorted, and Jason took that as invitation to come closer, vaulting over the back of the couch to sit next to Frank. Frank let out a silent sigh of relief that Jason had the good sense not to sit by Percy, who, while being relatively friendly, still looked like he had half a mind to jump him. 

As if thinking the same thing, Percy said “You know, I still have my pen on me.”

“I still have my coin,” Jason said, matching his tone. “Am I going to have to use it?”  
“I don’t know, are you?”

“Hera’s hooves, are you two flirting or fighting?” Frank sighed, exasperated. 

Jason raised his eyebrows. “Is there a difference?”

Frank facepalmed, and Percy snickered. “You know what Jason, you’re not too bad. And you’re marginally less ugly with the glasses on.”

“Woah, thanks. What would I have to change to be pretty?”

“Depends, is plastic surgery on the table?”

“We were going to watch a movie,” Frank reminded them, going to the tv’s menu. “Come on, help me choose.”

***

Frank woke up some hours later, still on the couch, with a strange weight on top of him. He blinked awake, then craned his neck to look at Jason, who’s sprawled out across his stomach, glasses sideways on his face. Percy was asleep on the other coach, and by the look of it, he’d been drooling.

Standing in the kitchen and giving them all a weird look was Dakota. “Dudes,” he said, “That’s like, hella gay.”

Frank rolled his eyes, and on his stomach, Jason shifted. “Dude, that’s rude. Some of my best friends are gay.”

On the other couch, Percy snorted. “What friends?”

_ Another day in paradise,  _ Frank thought to himself as he shoved Jason off the couch. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know your thoughts, theories, opinions, etc. Feedback is super helpful to me! I know some authors may not like ramble-y comments or people's opinions or hopes for future chapters, but I love them, and they're actually super helpful for my writing process. I'm excited to hear what you guys think, and I'll see you on the next chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: I decided to make Neptune's temple actually big and respectful and stuff, unlike the little outhouse it's described as in the original series. Just wanted to warn you about that tiny detail of canon divergence.

Later that day, Frank ran into Percy in the kitchen. They ate most of their meals in the dining pavilion, but each of the barracks had a small kitchen available for legionnaires to make snacks and do smaller cooking projects. Frank personally never used it, and this was the first time he’d seen Percy use it, which might have accounted for the mess. There were bowls and measuring cups everywhere, with flour and sugar dusted over every surface, and empty egg shells still dripping on the counter.

“Hey,” Frank greeted, half-concerned, half-intrigued. “You good?”

“I’m great,” Percy said, not overly-sarcastic. “How long are you supposed to bake a cake for?”

“I don’t know, is there a recipe?”

Percy winced. “It got, uh. Water-damaged.” He waved his hand, as if brushing the idea aside. “It’s no big deal. We won’t be eating it anyway.”

It wasn’t the weirdest thing Percy had said all week, so Frank just shrugged and joined him at the counter. “You need any help cleaning up?”

“Nah, I’m fine. I wouldn’t mind some company though, if you’re not doing anything else?”

Frank wasn’t, so he stayed. Even though Percy had rejected his help, he ended up pitching in near the end just so it’d take less time. He blanched when he saw that the entire sink was dyed bright blue, but didn’t say anything about it. 

When the cake came out of the oven, it was the same shade of blue, with a fine layer of brown over it where it’d been burned. Percy gritted his teeth in concentration as he scraped it from the pan, then grabbed a bowl of (also blue) frosting from the side counter, and started frosting it. 

“It’s beautiful,” Frank said, not really meaning it.

“Oh, definitely. It’s fine, it doesn’t have to be pretty. Just has to… get the job done.”

_ What job? _ Frank thought, but figured he’d find out soon enough. 

Frosting the cake didn’t go well, and it started crumbling under Percy’s touch, but he prevailed. Finally, once it was done, he popped a sparkly number 16 birthday candle on top.

“Who’s turning 16?” Frank asked.

“Uh, no one. It was the only one they had available in the store.”

_ Uh-huh, sure Percy. Whatever you say. _

Frank had other things to do, but by this point he was so committed to finding out what the hell Percy was getting up to that he figured it could wait. He joined Percy as they left the barracks and walked up to Temple Hill, where Percy entered the Temple of Neptune with little hesitation. Frank joined him, but lingered near the doorway, watching just in case anyone tried to interrupt them. He doubted they would, as Neptune wasn’t especially loved by Romans, but there was always a chance. 

Percy went to the main alter and set his cake on the floor, kneeling before it. He took a small cigarette lighter out of his pocket and lit the candle, then sat back, lowering his eyes. Frank wasn’t sure if he was praying or not, especially since he’d been so adamant against it the day before, but maybe the nightmares had convinced Percy to give it a shot. Either way, Frank was glad. If Percy got on better terms with his godly father, maybe it’d help his self-esteem issues.

After a few minutes of silence, Percy took his lighter back out and set fire to the cake board without ceremony. It went up in flames, and slowly the cake lit ablaze as well, the frosting melting and the cake caving in as it was consumed. All the while, Percy watched, still as one of the statues that lined the temple. It was weird; clearly Percy didn’t belong here, a living creature among this world of marble, but at the same time there was something distinctly familiar about the temple’s sea-breeze scent, the lines of waves along the walls. On one hand, Percy didn’t belong here, but on the other, he  _ fit _ so perfectly it was almost eerie. 

_ A son of Neptune, _ Frank thought.  _ Wow. _

Percy stayed still and silent for a long time, watching the birthday cake burn. Frank wondered why a cake, why the color, why the number  _ 16\.  _ For a second he wondered if it was actually Percy’s birthday and this was his weird way of celebrating, but he quickly dismissed that idea. Percy was 18, so the cake probably wasn’t for him… unless it was in remembrance of an old birthday?

Frank shook his head, brushing the thoughts aside. He needed a hobby. 

When Percy was done, he stood, swept the ashes and food excrement aside, and walked away. “This doesn’t mean we’re on good terms,” he said, as if to the temple, then nodded once and returned his gaze to Frank. He frowned. “What?”

“Nothing,” Frank said, then almost without his brain’s permission, “Why was the cake blue?”

Percy relaxed a little as they left the temple, starting the trek back down the hill. “My mom always used to make blue food, it was kind of an inside joke.”

“Oh,” Frank said. Had Percy mentioned his mom before? “Do you… miss her?”

Percy looked at him with interest. “Sometimes. It’s been… well, we haven’t seen each other in a while. She probably got remarried by now, there was this guy Paul she was dating, but… I don’t know. It’s probably better I don’t go digging.”

“How long has it been since you’ve seen her?” 

Percy had only been at camp for a few months, and he would’ve been allowed to leave to go to the wedding. He shrugged. “A while. You know how it is.”

“I really don’t.”

Percy shrugged again, looking uncomfortable, and Frank was about to change the conversation when he said “She remembers me as I used to be. I don't want to ruin the image.”

Frank sighed, rubbing his neck. “If she really loves you, she won't mind. She’ll just want to know you’re okay."

"She thinks I’m in elysium,” Percy said with an eye roll. “It’s better just to let her keep thinking that. She’s proud of me like this.”

It took Frank a moment to process that, but then he froze, staring at Percy. “She thinks you’re dead?”

“And that’s not even the most fucked up part,” Percy said, almost pleasantly. “Come on, the faster we get to Latin class the sooner it’s  _ over.” _

Frank shook his head, but followed.  _ This angsty fucking child,  _ he thought, watching Percy jog ahead of him. On his mortal side, Frank didn’t have any remaining family, and he couldn’t imagine ever making the choice to orphan himself like Percy so obviously had. 

_ Whatever you did,  _ he thought,  _ they’d forgive you. If they’re worth anything at all, they’ll forgive you.  _ He just hoped, helplessly, that Percy would find a way to understand that. 

***

A few days passed, and though Frank had a few more nightmares, none of them were centered around Percy. Thinking about his mom must have triggered something within him, though, because he had a whole slew of dreams featuring both her and his grandma, who’d died on the night Frank had run away to camp. It had been hard to process, but she’d all but pushed him out of the house, telling him not to be an utter fuck-up and that she’d be fine. That was the last time he ever saw her. 

The dreams left him unsettled, and a few times woke him up in the middle of the night. More than once, he, Percy and Jason ended up back on the couches in the living room, quietly talking or watching bad movies. Frank was pretty sure at this point he and Jason were friends, even if he wasn’t so sure the same could be said about Jason and Percy. They hadn’t gotten out the weapons again, though, so that at least was good. 

Frank also started seeing Dakota around, too, which was nice. They’d never been close, even though Dakota was one of the Fifth Cohort’s centurions, but now they often stopped and talked in the halls, or when training together.

“I’m too old for this job,” Dakota said one day. “I’ve been talking to Reyna about stepping down, moving to the city. It’s still a work in progress, but it’s been killing me not telling anyone.”

“Oh yeah?” Frank said, hoping stupidly that there was another reason Dakota was telling him this. “Have you thought about, you know, who’ll be replacing you?”

“I have a few people in mind,” Dakota said, winking coyly. “But nothing’s official yet. Once we decide, though, you’ll be the first to know.”

Frank walked back to the barracks on cloud nine.  _ You’ll be the first to know.  _ That sounded like Dakota wanted to promote him, right? Or at least, that Frank was one of the contenders. 

As soon as he got back to his barracks, he gathered up a bundle of sacrifices he’d been saving up, and left for Temple Hill. He went to the Temple of Mars automatically, and after placing the items in the burning altar, he knelt, praying.  _ I could be a centurion. I could make you proud.  _

There was no response, but then again he wasn’t expecting one. He just wanted to put the information out, let Mars know he was thinking of him, let him know he wanted to make him proud. He wasn’t very aggressive naturally, and he tended to get along better with the children and legacies of Apollo than the other children of Mars, but despite all that, he could still make Mars proud. 

_ Yeah, I can’t make fun of Percy for his daddy issues anymore, _ Frank thought to himself as he walked back home from the temple, nearly an hour later.  _ I should probably work on that. _

But still: Centurion Zhang. It had a nice ring to it. 

***

The next day, Frank was in the dining hall when Jason came by, grinning from ear to ear. 

“Hey man,” Frank greeted. “You wanna join us? Percy will be by in a little bit.”

“I’m actually on my way out,” Jason said, keeping his voice low, though he couldn’t hide his smile. “I got a quest.”

Frank blinked. “A… quest?”

“A quest,” Jason agreed, almost giddy with excitement. “There’s been all these natural disasters and underground explosions and stuff on the coast of Florida, and Octavian’s augaries suggest that it might be the Trojan Sea Monster. Gwendolyn and I are going together, we’re leaving in an hour. We’re about to meet with Reyna to make sure we have all of our supplies, but I wanted to say goodbye first.” 

“You-- wow,” Frank said, struggling to find his words. “Yeah, that’s-- great, seriously. You and Gwendolyn are going? Like… just the two of you?”

Jason’s smile faltered a little, and he glanced away. “Yeah, Reyna thought it’d be best. Keep a low profile, you know?”

Frank swallowed. “Sure.”

“Anyways, wish me luck. And say hi to Percy for me!” 

Frank stumbled through his goodbye, and then Jason was gone. Frank was still blinking through his confusion when Percy showed up, plopping down on the couch beside him. A wind spirit whipped past, dumping a plated cheeseburger in Percy’s lap so aggressively a bunch of the fries fell off the plate. “Shit,” Percy said, cleaning them up. “Hey Frank, how’s it going?”

“Jason has a quest,” Frank answered, because how was he supposed to say anything else? 

Percy made a face. “What’s he doing?”

“Slaying a monster in Florida.”

“Huh.” Percy popped a fry in his mouth, eyes wandering over to one of the other camper’s plates. As if reading his mind, another wind spirit whisked by, dropping a chocolate milkshake on the table, the glass clattering loudly. Percy dipped another fry in the shake, smiling smugly. “Good for him. And good for us, we get a break from him.”

“Quests are reserved for senior campers,” Frank said. “Jason only got here a few  _ weeks _ ago. And it’s just him and Gwendolyn going, no third person.”

Percy frowned around his dinner. “That’s weird. He’ll probably be fine, though. I mean, I’ve seen him fight.”

“Yeah, I’m sure he’ll be fine, it’s just… weird, you know?” When Frank said quests were usually reserved for senior campers, he meant it. Quests were almost always given out to centurians, which made sense why Gwendolyn was going, but why Jason? And, again, why no third person? 

Aside from Gwendolyn and Dakota, Frank was the most senior camper in his cohort, which meant that if Reyna decided this was a quest for the Fifth, he should be on it too-- if not replacing Jason, then at least as the third member. So why wasn’t he?

***

After dinner, Frank went and found Reyna. By that point, Jason and Gwendolyn were probably already gone, which was fine. Frank didn’t need to be put on the quest last minute, he just really needed answers to his questions.

He found Reyna walking outside the  _ principia,  _ her guard dogs Aurum and Argentum walking by her side. “Frank,” she said cordially, “Walk with me.”

“Reyna,” Frank greeted, still feeling a little weird greeting her by name. Of course, if he became a centurion he would do that anyway, so he might as well get used to it. “Jason stopped by on his way out. He told me about his quest with Gwendolyn.”  _ Just with Gwendolyn, _ he added mentally. 

“Yes,” Reyna said seriously, reading in between the lines. “We thought it’d be best just having the two, given the circumstances.”

“What circumstances?” Frank questioned, indignant. 

Reyna gave him a sideways look. “You know them better than I do.”

Frank flushed; so this was a Percy thing. He’d suspected, but at the same time he’d hoped he was wrong. “Is that why I’m here, and not with them? So I can babysit Percy?”

“You never had a problem with it before,” Reyna said dismissively. “I’m sorry if I’m overly cautious. Rome fell in a day; the quest will be at least a week, and I don’t want to be the praetor that lets New Rome fall just as fast.”

“Yeah, but Percy couldn’t do that,” Frank insisted. 

Reyna raised her eyebrows. “And you’re sure of this? Frank, Percy hid a magical sword and a lifetime of training with it from us for weeks.”

“New Rome won’t fall as a result of one guy with a sword.”

“No, but New Rome is surrounded by water. I’m glad to have Percy on our side, but I don’t trust him. If he was able to hide a three-foot sword from us, how easy do you think it would be for him to hide his powers from us? Don’t tell me you buy the whole powerless son of Neptune charade.”

Frank swallowed harshly. He’d always figured Percy had more powers than he was letting on, but he knew what Percy’s relationship with Neptune looked like, and figured that stunted his powers considerably. But even that was subject to change.

Reyna gave him a sympathetic look. “There will be other quests, Frank.”

“For members of the Fifth Cohort?” Frank questioned, sharper than he intended. “Because somehow, I doubt that.”

“ _ There will be other quests, _ " Reyna enunciated. "For all the cohorts. The perpetration of the Fifth's reputation does nothing for me. If there are fighters, they will fight. Simple as that."

"Right," Frank agreed. "As long as they're not on babysitting duty." 

Reyna squinted at him. "Maybe you should've gone on the quest after all. You've been spending too much time around Percy, you're starting to pick up his bad habits." 

Frank tried to backtrack. "Look, Reyna, I'm sorry," he said. "I just have been wanting to go on a quest for a while. I feel like I'm missing an opportunity." 

"There will be other monsters. Of that, you can be sure." 

***

That night, Frank and Percy went on a walk through the Garden of Bacchus. Frank didn’t want to be around him, but knew he needed to if he wanted to keep from forming a grudge. After all, it wasn’t Percy’s fault he had issues. 

“I think you’re mad at me,” Percy said, after they’d been walking in silence for a little while. “Am I the reason you’re not on that quest?”

Frank sighed. He sometimes forgot that Percy could be pretty perceptive when he put his mind to it. “Maybe. We don’t have to talk about it.”

Percy nodded easily, kept walking. They passed by a fountain of Baccus in a loincloth, and Percy stopped, staring up at it appreciatively. “That’s nice.”

Frank was about to respond when he noticed that Percy was looking at the statue’s face, which was partially destroyed. “That’s from the invasion of the camp, right after the Battle of Mount Orthys.”

“The Battle of Mount Orthys,” Percy repeated, frowning. “How long ago was that?”

“Uh, the end of January, so half a year, a little more? Why?”

“Figures,” Percy said, shaking his head. “It’s not a big deal. But I guess no one’s gotten around to repairing the statue.”

“I don’t know if Bacchus minds. He’s the god of parties, and there’s no party like a war.”

Percy snorted a laugh, and for some reason Frank felt immensely proud. “Well, you’re not wrong about that. You’d been at camp for a while then, huh? Where were you during the battle?”

“Mount Orthys,” Frank said, a little shyly. “I was with the other archers, picking off monsters.”

“Impressive.”

“Not really,” he admitted. “It’d be better if I was in the thick of things, fighting with other children of Mars. And even then, it’d be nothing compared to Reyna killing the titan Krios.”

Percy whistled lowly. “Damn. All by herself?”

“All by herself,” Frank agreed, feeling a little proud for Reyna. They were sort-of-kind-of-maybe friends, after all. 

“That’s the real shit.”

Frank let out a surprised laugh. “What, have you killed a titan?”

“I’ve tried,” Percy said shyly, rubbing his shoulder. “Never succeeded.”

Frank searched his face, looking for signs that he was fibbing, but couldn’t find any. Percy met his eyes, watching him back carefully. 

“You’re kidding,” Frank decided.

Percy smiled a little sadly. “If I actually managed to kill the bastard, where would all this trauma have come from?”

_ Two years,  _ Percy had said.  _ Humiliated. Neptune hates me.  _

His fear of Jason. The blond guy from Frank’s dream, with the glowing golden eyes: the eyes of a titan.

_ Never succeeded.  _

_ Two years.  _

“You’re joking,” Frank repeated, almost a whisper. 

“Am I?”

The silence hung thick in the air for a few long moments, until Percy moved, clearing his throat. “We should probably head--”

“Stop it,” Frank interrupted, then cleared his throat too, feeling a little choked up. “Stop, you don’t-- you don’t have to change the subject. You do that every time, you don’t-- Percy, did you--” He searched Percy’s eyes, trying to find a way to form the question that was clawing at the back of his mind, the question he already knew the answer to, but didn’t want to accept. 

“We don’t have to talk about it,” Percy insisted, shoving his hands in his pockets nervously. “Actually, I don’t want to talk about it. It’s not worth getting into. I’m--I’m not there anymore, I’m doing better, I’m rebuilding. I’m taking things one day at a time.”

“Is that what your therapist says?” Frank asked, trying to make it sound like a joke. It fell flat. 

“Yeah. Can you tell I’m copying her word for word?”

Frank made a noise that was between a cough and a laugh. “Yeah. You know what, I think you’re right, we should head back now. This is weird.”

“What’s weird about it? We’re just two guys, standing in front of a statue of a semi-nude god, talking about our feelings and crying very manly tears--”

“I’m not crying,” Frank said, wiping at his face which was just a tiny bit damp. “Are you crying?”

“Nah bruh,” Percy said, wiping petulantly at his own eyes. “Just have allergies.”

“Pollen season,” Frank agreed dumbly, and Percy grinned at him. 

***

That night, Frank dreamt again. 

He was on the same boat from before, laying a few feet away from the swimming pool. He was on the floor, laying on his side, and watching dark red blood trickle down the cracks between the tiles. The pool was already stained with it. It was wrong, he knew intrinsically; water was supposed to be good, was supposed to heal him. But this water did nothing. 

The dream shifted, and he was in the water, though he could tell this wasn’t just the pool. He was in an ocean, so deep he couldn’t tell which way was up, and was surrounded by bubbles like he’d just jumped in.  _ Father,  _ a voice said, coming from Frank’s mouth but not his words.  _ Stop trying to protect me. _

Another voice spoke in reply, harsh and thick with power:  _ No son of mine will die of drowning.  _

_ I’m not going back.  _

_ Then I’ll send you someplace else.  _

The dream shifted again, and suddenly Frank was sitting on a beanbag chair in what could only be described as a man-cave. There was a giant tv on one wall playing what Frank somehow knew to be Hacksaw Ridge, and huge leather couches interspersed with various recliners, mini beer fridges, and speakers. On the opposite side of the room was a full-service kitchenette with a large cheese and meat plate sitting on the granite countertop, next to a signed and mounted football. 

Pacing while talking on the phone was a huge man in a full military get-up, complete with little bullet holes lined with golden icor, like the guy had just had a paintball fight with actual weapons. And, though Frank had never seen him like this before, he knew instinctively he was looking at his father, Mars.

“Yes, I know deliveries take time,” Mars said impatiently into the phone. “But I specifically remember paying extra for expedited shipping! The boy was supposed to get a quest, and instead he’s still at camp! Uh-huh. You see, I understand that, but-- uh-huh. Yes, please put your manager on the line, I have words-- Uh-huh. Yes, I’ll hold.”

Mars yanked the phone away from his head when the hold music blasted in his ear, and only then did he notice Frank, slumped in his beanbag. “Oh, hey kid. You know it’s creepy to just show up unannounced, right?”

Frank blinked at him. No words came to him; he didn’t even know if he  _ could _ talk in the dream. He looked at the phone in Mars’ hand, and the god grinned.

“Don’t worry, we’ll get this all settled,” he said easily. “I ordered you a quest, and I’ll get it, gods-dammit. The processing center is being damn annoying, though I guess this is what I get for never showing up to parent-teacher conferences.” There was a voice from the phone, and Mars quickly put it back up to his ear, responding. He glanced back at Frank, and when he saw he was still there, waved his hand in a little ‘go on, get out’ gesture, and the dream dissolved. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another exciting chapter!  
> In this chapter:  
> \- Percy baked the Cake Of Reluctant Depression for Neptune (who wants to guess what the number 16 meant?)  
> \- Percy and Frank talked about moms  
> \- Frank got excited about the possibility of being a centurion (and reflected on his daddy issues oof)  
> \- Jason got a quest (and Frank talked to Reyna about it)  
> \- Frank and Percy talked about their feelings in front of the semi-nude Bacchus statue   
> \- Frank had his dreams
> 
> I'm excited to hear what you guys think! In this chapter, Frank really started figuring out Percy's past-- who thinks they figured it out too? Make sure to comment!


	4. Chapter 4

Frank woke from his dreams, as was the trend, in the middle of the night. He knew immediately he wouldn't be getting back to sleep anytime soon, and stood to go see if Percy was up too. Percy opened his door before Frank could get to it, and gave him a weary smile. “Couch?”

“Couch,” Frank agreed. 

They went over to the couches and plopped down, on the same couch this time. Percy leaned against one armrest and Frank leant against the other, interlacing their feet automatically. Percy wasn’t exactly cuddly, and in all honesty neither was Frank, but this was nice; closeness without contact, companionship without commitment. 

They ended up here most nights, as of late. Even though Octavian had declared that the gods were appeased by their sacrifices and the nightmares would stop, Frank had still been hounded by dreams, and Percy seldom got a full night’s rest. Frank was pretty sure out of the three of them, Jason was the only one who had stopped dreaming, but he was such a light sleeper that he often heard them get up and joined them in the living room anyway. It was a little weird being without him, and Frank wondered how he and Gwendolyn were doing. Had they encountered any monsters? Were they in Florida yet?

He wanted to talk about his dreams, but Percy fell asleep pretty quickly after getting comfortable, so Frank was left in the dark to wonder. Out of all the dreams-- the blood on the tiles, the drowning, the desperate prayers-- it was the last one, the one with Mars, that worried Frank the most. In the other dreams it seemed he was reliving Percy’s memories, but in this dream he’d just been… himself. Mars had talked to him like he was actually there, and even weirder, like he was his  _ son.  _ He acted like they already had a sense of comradery, when in reality Frank had never met his dad before, only knew he was the son of Mars in a vague way, like someone could tell him  _ oh sorry, there was a mistake, you’re actually not  _ and nothing in his life would change. To get such aggressive confirmation was disconcerting, to say the least. 

Not to mention the actual content of the dream. Mars had ordered him a quest? Was that something gods could  _ do? _ And why did he ever care? There were so many other times in Frank’s life Mars could have intervened in; on the grand scheme of things, this felt like a pretty small issue. 

Frank never ended up falling asleep, which was fine by him. He didn’t need anything else to think about. 

He spent the morning in archery training, feeling the tension melt away with every arrow he loosed. By lunchtime, his mind was completely empty of all things relating to his father, and Percy’s past, and Jason’s quest. 

Then he entered the dining pavilion.

The gossip was in full blast, which he really should’ve guessed. Just in the time it took Frank to walk to his usual table, he caught enough snippets to know the jist of what people were saying:

_ Did you hear--? _

_ Gwendolyn and Jason-- _

_ Quest to slay a monster-- _

_ Why the Fifth? Must be a small monster. _

_ Or maybe Reyna’s tired of all the attention Jason’s been getting.  _

_ You think it’s a trap?  _

_ If I wanted the monster to actually be slayed, I’d send a Cohort that was actually good. _

_ They’re totally never coming back.  _

Frank found his usual couch and plopped down next to Dakota, who was sitting slumped forward. “Oh, hey Frank.”

“Hey man,” Frank greeted. “How’re you doing?”

Dakota sighed, rubbing his neck. “I don’t know. I was excited for Gwen and Jason to get the quest, but… I don’t know, maybe I was wrong. I’m worried they’ll get fucked over by the Luck of the Fifth.”

“They’ll be fine,” Percy said, dropping down on the couch across from them. He flashed an overly-cocky smile. “Jupiter only has one kid, you think he’ll let him die on the first quest he gets?” 

Dakota huffed out a laugh. “Gods, I hope not. Though, if I’m honest, I’m more worried about Gwen. I encouraged her to take the quest; if she dies, her girlfriend will kill me.”

“Bella’s a reasonable girl, I’m sure she’d only severely maim you,” Percy said encouragingly.

“Anyone ever tell you you’re a serious piece of work?” 

“Only people at the end of my blade,” Percy responded without hesitation. “What’s it to you?”

Frank decided to step in before Percy could create any more drama. “Dakota, I’m sure they’ll be fine.  _ Both  _ of them.”

Dakota sighed. “I hope. I know it’s selfish, but I’m also worried if something does happen to Gwen. She was supposed to take over as the senior centurion; if she dies, or gets hurt and has to retire, I’ll have to stay on for at least another year. We can’t have  _ two _ brand new centurions; the Fifth is enough of a laughing stock already.”

“You’re really getting ready to leave, huh?” Frank questioned, ignoring the way his heart beat faster at the thought.  _ Centurian.  _

“I want to start working at the bakery in the city,” Dakota said wistfully. “Reyna’s all but given me her approval. But in order for any of that to happen, Gwen has to actually come back alive. Gods, I sound so selfish I know, it’s just-- the job is a lot of pressure, and sometimes--”

“Hey, you don’t have to explain yourself to me,” Frank said. “I’m sure they’ll be fine.”

Dakota looked up at him, seeming to have realized something. “Thanks, Frank. You know, you’re a pretty good leader.”

“Oh,” Frank said, taken aback.  _ A leader? Like… of the Fifth Cohort?  _ “Thanks.”

Dakota nodded, then stood abruptly. “I’m heading out. Have a good dinner, Frank. Percy.”

Percy nodded without looking, as if he couldn’t even be bothered to make eye contact with his direct superior. Dakota rolled his eyes, and left. 

Frank sat up, and kicked Percy under the table. “ _ What? _ ” he said, annoyed.

“You know, you can be really rude,” Frank said.

It was Percy’s turn to roll his eyes. “Whatever. You Romans all have sticks up your asses.”

“You’re a Roman too,” Frank reminded him. 

Percy hummed, but didn’t directly contradict him. Frank just sighed, and reached for the table where a wind-spirit had deposited his dinner. 

***

A week passed with no sign of Jason or Gwendolyn. Frank could feel everyone getting more and more antsy with each day that passed, himself included, and whenever he passed Jason’s room he often found himself pausing to listen, just in case. It was always quiet. 

The days kept passing, however, with no sign of their return. Reyna was tight-lipped about it, but when Frank asked her if she’d received any communication from them she simply said “Quests take time.”  _ So that’s a no, then. _

Frank understood, logically, that she was right and a quest couldn’t be completed in a day. But still, how long did it take to kill a sea monster?

After ten days passed with no word, people’s grumblings started raising in volume.  _ Luck of the Fifth,  _ they said. Around him, him felt his cohort slowly drain in spirit. Dakota was no help either, worried for his friend and for his own future, until soon Frank found himself being the only rallying force. “They’re fine,” he found himself saying, projecting his voice so other cohorts could overhear. “I’m not worried.”

It was a lie, but it was worth telling. 

All the while, Percy was strangely meditative. “It’s just interesting,” he said when Frank asked him about it one day, “Seeing it from the other side.”

As the days continued to pass, Frank began increasing his training to decrease the fuzz in his mind. When that didn’t work, he prayed for Mars to give him some answers. When that didn’t work, he started going to bed early, practically making himself an open target to nightmares in hope that maybe the gods would grant him a vision of Jason and Gwen, give him an idea of how they were doing, if they were even okay. Frank wondered if anyone would be told if they died, or if they would just have to accept it as fact after too much time had passed with no response. It seemed like that was what happened with Percy; one day, he stopped coming back, and the people in his life, whoever they were, came to a reasonable conclusion. 

(Frank wished he understood. Frank wished he had answers, wished Percy would tell him anything, wished he’d stop having all of these fucking  _ dreams.  _ Where was his peace? Why couldn’t he just close his eyes one night and not relieve his friend’s worst experiences over and over again, grief and anger and resentment and despair swarming his head like starving dogs to a steak? Percy wasn’t okay, and there was no telling if Jason was okay, and Frank sure as  _ fuck _ wasn’t okay, and all he wanted was some answers and some sleep and some fucking  _ peace. _ )

Then, one day, when the questers had been absent for nearly two weeks, Frank was woken by a pounding on his door. He’d just sat up, still bleary from sleep, when Percy let himself in, white teeth gleaming in a grin. “They’re back, come on.”

It was still dark out, the grass almost black underneath their feet, the sky gray, and they ran to the principia half-blindly. Once there, they found Jason and Gwendolyn hunched in chairs outside Reyna’s office, talking to her and a few other demigods, Dakota included. They stopped when they saw Frank and Percy though, and Frank rushed forward, arms open for a hug. Jason tensed, holding a hand up before Frank could get to him, and Frank stopped in his tracks. 

“Hey,” Jason greeted, smiling a little despite the rawness in his voice, the redness in his eyes. “Good to see you guys. Um, no hugs, please.”

It was then that Frank noticed the little napkin-wrapped wafer in Jason’s hand: ambrosia, the food of the gods. “No worries,” he said, returning his arms to his sides. He tried to get his heart to stop racing, his mind to calm down. “Are you, uh, okay?”

“I’m fine, just need a little patching up,” Jason promised. His usual energy, so vibrant it could sometimes come across a little childish, was gone.

Percy fell in line with Frank, crossing his arms. “What happened?”

Jason gestured for them to sit, and then let Gwendolyn get into the story, explaining how they found the Trojan Sea Serpent right where they’d expected, but got sidetracked with an unplanned stay at the palace of Aeolus, the master of the winds. “It was very much a standard operation,” Gwendolyn said, sounding bored. “He had a side quest for us to go on, wanted to talk to us about prophecies and duties and all that. He wanted Jason to get in touch with his powers better.”

“Which powers?” Frank asked. He knew Jason had some wind-related magic, as the child of Jupiter, but he figured that’s not what Gwendolyn meant. 

Jason grimaced. “Flying. Trust me, it’s not as fun as it sounds.”

Frank shook his head in disbelief. Everything at camp was falling apart, and meanwhile Jason was learning to fly like Peter Pan.

“It was necessary, though,” Gwendolyn said, watching Jason out of the corner of her eyes. “If you hadn’t figured it out--”

“We would’ve still gotten the serpent without it,” Jason swore. “We didn’t need--”

Gwendolyn put her hand on Jason’s shoulder, and he stopped talking, biting his lip. “The point is, we got the serpent,” she concluded, addressing the others now. “We completed our quest. We both took a few hits, but we should be fine.”

Jason caught Frank’s gaze and grimaced. “The serpent had claws and really fucked up my back. It’s not a big deal.”

“You sound like me,” Percy said, and Jason laughed, some of his usual lightness, thankfully, returning. 

“Sorry, I’ll try to stop being so angsty. Don’t want to infringe on your territory.”

“Damn right you don’t.”

“We should get you to a medic,” Reyna said to Jason, ignoring the side conversation. “We can do further debriefing later.”

Jason winced, but nodded. He stood with effort, the strain clear on his face. 

“I can come with you,” Gwendolyn offered, but Jason shook his head. 

“Nah, you need your rest too. Thanks for questing with me.”

“Ditto to you, Grace,” she said, and they fist-bumped. 

***

Frank and Percy escorted Jason to the medic, and stood back as Jason was checked out. He had to take off his shirt and then unroll long strips of bandage from around his torso, and then take off additional padding to reveal the thick cut going diagonally from one shoulder to his waist. It had been stitched shut, likely by Gwen, but the fact that there was only one cut meant the serpent’s talons must have been huge. 

Jason laid on his stomach and let the medic clean up the wound and clean up some of the stitches. “So, what’d you guys get up to while I was gone?”

“Nothing out of the norm,” Frank answered, technically truthfully. The nightmares were part of his norm, at this point. “People were worried about you.”  _ An understatement. _

Percy pulled himself up to sit on one of the counters, leaning forward intently. The medic gave him a nervous look, but didn’t say anything. Frank couldn’t remember her name, but he was pretty sure she was in the Second Cohort. It still surprised him how much Percy’s presence made people uncomfortable, especially ones in other cohorts. 

“I want to hear more about the quest,” Percy said, oblivious to her discomfort.

Jason grimaced, resting his head on his arms to make it easier for the medic to work. “Honestly, it wasn’t great. I mean, we got it done, but… I don’t know. The stay with Aeolus was weird.”

_ Well, yeah _ , Frank reasoned.  _ It’d be weirder if it was normal.  _

“You said he talked to you about your destiny a lot? What sort of things did he say?”

Jason winced as the medic applied pressure to one spot, and waited until she’d moved on to respond. “He said I’m supposed to be-- great. A leader of Rome. A-- fuck, ow, that-- sorry, sorry. But yeah, a leader, someone who will bring about new and unexpected-- alliances. Janus’s  _ dick _ , that hurts.”

“The pain means you’re alive,” the medic said brashly. 

Jason wrinkled his nose. “Don’t start quoting tumblr at me.”

“That sounds like a pretty good destiny,” Frank pointed out. 

“Yeah, I’m not complaining,” Jason said, biting his lip in pain. “I just-- I don’t know. It was weird. He said a lot of things and I honestly don’t know how to deal with them. Part of me just wants to be like, fuck it, you know? I could… I don’t know, reject my lineage, serve the minimum time in the legion, move to the city, live a little. Fight only when I need to, not take any more quests.”

“You mean, reject your destiny?” Frank clarified. It was a weird thought: the son of Jupiter, moving to the city and getting a normal job that doesn’t involve commanding legions or fighting. Children of the Big Three weren’t supposed to do that. But looking at Jason’s pale, hollow face, the way he cringed as the medic wiped blood off his back, Frank wasn’t so sure Jason was cut out for that kind of life. 

Jason didn’t look so sure. “Maybe. O-or maybe that’s just the blood loss speaking.”

“There’s significant blood loss,” the medic pointed out. “I wouldn’t make any major decisions without a couple hours rest and some electrolytes.”

“Noted,” Jason said, a little spiteful. 

Percy slipped off the counter, kneeling beside the table so he could look Jason in the eyes. Jason met his gaze immediately, boldly, never one to shy away, and Percy put his hand on the table by him, not quite touching. “Your fate is never set in stone. The gods just want you to think that so you’ll trust in them, but the reality is they don’t know shit.”

“Percy, you can’t just say that,” Frank protested from behind them.\

Neither of them acknowledged the comment. “What if I fuck things up?” Jason whispered, more vulnerable than Frank had seen him since that day on the battlefield, pinning Percy down to keep him from hurting himself. For a moment, Frank was stuck in the past. He saw the storm clouds, Percy screaming, the swords bashing against each other; a bleeding Jason, eventually kneeling over an anguished Percy, trying to say something to place him back in reality.

Now, the roles were almost reversed. Jason was still the one bleeding, sure, but this time it was Percy kneeling at his side, trying to say something to take Jason out of his momentarily despair, and place him back in the present world. 

Frank didn’t know if Percy was just bullshitting, or genuinely speaking from his heart, but whatever it was it worked. Jason looked a little teary around the edges, but grounded, present. 

“Hey, you’re a child of the Big Three,” Percy said, tightening his fingers around the edge of the table and squeezing just a little. “If you don’t fuck everything up to Hell and back, you’re not trying hard enough.”

Jason snorted. “Is that you’re philosophy?”

The corner of Percy’s mouth quirked up in a smile. “Basically. It’s worked alright for me so far, don’t you think?”

Jason burst out laughing. “Yeah, okay, maybe I shouldn’t take advice from you. You’re basically a Greek tragedy.”

“A Roman tragedy,” Percy corrected. “But yeah, you get the jist.”

***

The next day, a parade was held in Gwendolyn and Jason’s honor. The entire camp shut down to celebrate their return, with the Fifth Cohort right in the thick of things. Frank hadn’t seen the Fifth in such good spirits since the fall of Mount Othrys. It was as if simply by succeeding and living to tell the tale, Jason and Gwendolyn had proven that the Fifth wasn’t cursed with bad luck. The celebrations within their cohort that took place as a result felt less like they were celebrating the return of two of their campers; it felt like they were celebrating the return of their  _ pride. _

Which was a lot to put on the shoulders of two legionnaires.

Jason, as the new guy and son of Jupiter, ended up taking the brunt of the acclimation. Gwendolyn seemed happy to let him have the spotlight, claiming his flying played the biggest role in their success anyways. Suddenly, Jason wasn’t just the son of Jupiter, or the guy who’d fought Percy and nearly brought a lightning storm down on the entire camp; he was also the guy who slayed the Trojan Sea Monster, and brought back the Fifth Cohorts luck. Somehow, in the time between a month ago and now, Jason had ascended to another level, and was treated with all the esteem of a celebrity. 

Everyone wanted to sit next to him, hear his story, ask him about his newly discovered powers. They looked upon him with admiration; maybe thinking about his successes, or maybe looking at his shiny golden breastplate, which he’d apparently acquired on the quest. There was no good reason for him to wear it, aside from maybe acting as a barrier every time someone tried to pat him on the back, over his still-healing scar. Jason had chosen to keep his injury a secret from everyone except those who’d seen it last night-- for what reason, Frank didn’t know. All he knew was that every other demigod tried to pat Jason on the back, and everytime he found himself cringing in sympathy, thinking about the huge jagged cut laying directly beneath the shell of the armor. 

Frank and Percy watched from a ways away as Jason was bombarded by his newly acquired fans, invested enough to stay close to the action, but not enough to try and get involved with it. They wanted to hear more of Jason’s recounting of the quest too, but unlike some of the other legionnaires, they saw the way Jason’s shoulders stayed forcefully squared, as if he was facing line after line of enemies, not fellow campers. Frank figured Jason would be sleeping well for the next few nights; good, at least one of them should. 

The festivities went on for days, until finally a formal ceremony took place thanking Gwendolyn and Jason for their bravery in service of the legion. Jason looked proud, if not a little relieved. Frank didn’t blame him; he deserved the recognition he got. 

At first. 

Then, as if in one of Frank’s constant dreams, Dakota ascended the stage. Frank felt his heart beat faster. This wasn’t-- it couldn’t--

Why was Jason still on the stage?

"As one of the centurions of the Fifth Cohort, I want to personally thank Jason for his bravery in partaking on this quest,” Dakota announced, to more applause. “You have brought great honor to our cohort, and a new era of luck for the Fifth!" All around Frank, legionnaires clapped and jeered, raucous with excitement, while Frank just stood still. 

_ No. _

“I have served as male centurion of the Fifth Cohort for the past five years,” Dakota continued, “And at this time, with the permission of my praetor, it is my wish to step down and make way for the Fifth Cohort’s newest centurion: Jason Grace!”

  
  


***

There was only one way to put it: Frank fled. 

The second the ceremony was adjourned he was gone, out. He all but pushed through the crowds of people, shoving his way past to the open fields and running. He ran and ran and ran, hoping no one was noticing him, hoping no one followed, because he couldn’t see and he couldn’t think--

_ Frank had been in the Fifth Cohort for longer than anyone aside from the centurions. Frank was supposed to be told first. Frank was a good leader. Frank was ready.  _

Jason was barely a member of the legion, had been only a part of it for mere  _ weeks,  _ and it hadn’t mattered. He was chosen, just like that. He didn’t even look surprised. 

_ Did he know?  _ Frank wondered as he ran.  _ Did he fight it? Or did he accept it blindly-- take what wasn’t his.  _

But that was the problem-- it wasn’t Frank’s either. He thought it had been his, he thought he was guaranteed the job. Dakota had made it sound so obvious too. 

_ Had he ever considered Frank for the job, or was that a lie too? _

Frank ran and he ran until suddenly there were grapevines all around him, the Garden of Bacchus. He kept running, going deep into the garden where it was less tended to, more wild. He felt wild. He felt-- he didn’t even know. Betrayed. Rejected. 

_ What more could I have done?  _ He asked himself, then making it a prayer,  _ Mars, what more could I have done? _

Silence. 

Always silence. 

Frank was the upstart child of Mars, friend to more powerful demigods, talked-over walked-over second choice for centurian--

He felt like his bones were breaking apart, his muscles tearing at the seams.  _ Was this dying?  _ He wondered, and he knew it wasn’t, knew he was just panicking, but there was pain, was there supposed to be pain, and he fell forwards on his hands and--

His hands and--

Knees.

His knees were straight, stiff, not making contact with the ground. 

Frank looked down at himself, body shaking with adrenaline, chest rising and falling rapidly, and found not his usual pale, clammy hands, but paws. Big paws. 

Frank was a bear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you ever think, wow, life really is the worst it could ever possibly be, and then you find out you were wrong? Yeah, Frank relates. 
> 
> :D 
> 
> I've started doing little chapter recaps (the "in this chapter" section below) because I find that it's helpful in reminding my readers everything that went down in a chapter, so they can remember to comment on the different parts without having to go over it again. I've found it to be effective in the past-- prove me right ;)
> 
> In this chapter:   
> \- Percy and Frank being nightmare couch bros  
> \- The Camp Jupiter rumor mill in the dining pavilion  
> \- The Questers Have Been Gone For A Long Time And We're Worried(TM)  
> \- Jason and Gwen return with new injuries/abilities (+scene with Percy and Jason)  
> \- The ceremony   
> \- Frank is now offically a furry (yay!)
> 
> Please let me know what you thought, this chapter was a bear (ha) to write and I'd love some delicious validation. Also, feel free to share any new headcanons you have, or any general things you'd like to see in this story! I am always super inspired by comments, so let me know what you think!


	5. Chapter 5

Frank did what all good bear-boys do: he panicked.

He clawed at himself, trying to get the fur off of him, but it was firmly in place, rooted deep in his skin. This was no coat, no illusion of the mist; this was  _ him _ , as real as if he'd been a bear all his life. That didn't exactly help with his panic, and he roared, falling backward and rolling clumsily, his body weighty and huge. As he scrambled to get a hold of himself, he tripped and fell into water, knocking something small over as he went. He stumbled out of the water, nearly falling on his face, and tried to raise up to his hind legs only to trip and roll into a bush. 

"Frank?" A voice said, a ways away. "Hey Frank, are you over here?" 

_ Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit.  _ It was Percy. And Frank was a bear. 

Frank fumbled to his feet, running away clumsily. It was hard getting the rhythm of four legs right, and every time he thought he was almost there he tripped on something or other and nearly ended up eating dirt. A few times, he made grunts or shouts, furious at his missteps, but he tried to stop. He was too loud, too much of a  _ literal grizzly bear,  _ and  _ Percy couldn't see him like this.  _

But he could hear Percy getting closer, and so in a fury (in a furry, heh) he threw himself into a cluster of bushes and vines, cowering. He squeezed his eyes shut, tried to stop the shakes that were racking through his entire body. He imagined being smaller, being human; if he was human again, this would be a much better hiding spot. 

There was some sort of shift, and, hopeful, Frank opened one eye. He gasped in relief when he saw he was in his own body again,  _ Frank _ , not a bear. No, not a bear, never again. But before he had time to process, he heard Percy call out again "Frank, where are you?" and stood. 

Percy jumped, having only been a few feet away, and Frank stumbled back so fast he fell on his ass. Percy had his sword out, the terrifying three-foot bronze one that seemed to glow in the evening light, and had a look of intense concentration on his face, but the look at least, dropped when he saw Frank. "Frank! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" Frank said, a little squeaky. "Why do you-- your sword--" 

Percy looked around, surveying the area suspiciously. "I thought I heard a monster. Did you--”

“I didn’t hear anything,” Frank said, too fast. “Sorry, I just-- what are you doing here?”

Percy put the cap on his sword and it shrunk back into pen-form, which Percy flipped around in his fingers, still not putting away. “I saw you running away, I was worried. Are you okay?”

“Of course, why wouldn’t I be?”

Percy shrugged, helpless. “I don’t know. You didn’t seem too excited about Jason getting selected for centurion.”

Frank squeezed his eyes shut. In his momentary bear-rampage, he’d completely forgotten about what had triggered it. It still hurt, and Frank could feel a burning pain in his chest as he knew, just  _ knew _ , that he’d been robbed-- but he had bigger issues now. 

“I don’t love it,” he said, deciding to be truthful at least about this. “But I’ll get over it. There’s bigger things to worry about.”

“No kidding,” Percy agreed. “I was planning on getting a tattoo later this week, and you need to help me pick out the design.”

Frank’s heart was still racing, but he managed to let out a quiet chuckle. “Oh yeah, that’s a pretty big issue.”

“It is,” Percy agreed seriously. “And, uh, if you ever want to talk about weird feelings with the centurion thing, we can talk about that too. Or we could just stick to talking about tattoos.”

Frank shook his head, following Percy out of the garden. He was pretty sure this was Percy’s brand of sympathy, but he also couldn’t really take it seriously because, well. He’d just turned into a  _ bear. _ It wasn’t the sort of issue that’d be fixed by talking things out.

Percy slowed to a stop, looking at something. Frank followed his gaze and cringed; the statue of Bacchus had been knocked over and broken apart, and there was water spraying everywhere. 

“Dang,” Frank said, his mouth feeling dry. He was pretty sure that had been his doing. 

Percy raised a hand, and the water spurting out of the fountain slowed down to a light trickle. Frank stared at him, because  _ dude, that was using his powers,  _ and Percy shrugged. “We should better call someone about this.”

***

That night, Frank went back up to Temple Hill. First, he went to his dad’s temple, making a sacrifice and praying what basically amounted to “hey dad no offense but what the  _ fuck _ was that???”, before moving over to the temple of Bacchus. He sacrificed a 6-pack of Diet Pepsi to the flames, along with a hand-written letter, because he’d heard that gods liked that. He’d had nothing good to say in the letter either, though, so it ended up reading like  _ hey, Mister Bacchus sir, you’re great grapiness, I’m very sorry for the property destruction. I promise it was nothing personal and I’ll make sure the fountain gets fixed. In my defense, I was a bear at the time. Thanks, and sorry, XOXO Frank. _

After the excitement of the night, Frank was happy to go to bed. He was still holding out hope that this entire day had just been a dream, and he’d wake up to find that everything was fine and normal. But he knew as soon as his head hit the pillow that that was just wishful thinking.

***

He opened his eyes to find himself back in Mars’ man-cave, which meant this was definitely a dream. Frank sighed and rubbed his eyes-- he’d just had another nightmare, though he couldn’t remember what it was about-- and tried to push his subconsciousness in another direction before the god of War noticed him. Nothing happened. 

Across the room from his beanbag, Mars stood at the marble counter with his back to Frank, making something. He turned, a giant plate with a sandwich and bright orange potato chips in his hand, and smiled when he saw Frank. “Hey, kiddo. You did great today, absolutely great. So, what do you think? Your powers are pretty cool, huh?”

“Thanks, but I’m good,” Frank thought, then realized he’d said it out loud. Huh-- he hadn’t spoken in his previous dream with Mars. “Sorry, I mean-- huh? Did you just say powers? So it wasn’t like… a one time thing?”

Mars chuckled and popped a chip in his mouth. “Nah, it shouldn’t be. It’s a gift from your mom’s side, it’ll be great once you master it, trust me. It’s about time, too; I was worried it’d never show up.”

Frank’s cheeks burned red as he remembered what had caused it to happen. “It happened because I was angry at Jason. He-- he was given the centurianship, I’m so sorry, I’ll try harder--”

Mars strode forward, crossing the room in three huge strides, and patted Frank’s shoulder comfortingly. “Don’t worry about it, kiddo. I mean, I’m all for my kids having important positions at camp, but you’re doing exactly what you need to right now. And you did great at the Battle of Mount Othrys! Excellent bow-work, I can’t exactly be mad at that, can I?”

Frank stared at Mars blankly. “But bows are _ lame _ .”

Mars tilted his head from side to side, like  _ ehh.  _ “I mean, my preference is definitely short-range, but long-range weapons are just as important! Diversity is key.” Mars popped another potato chip in his mouth, chewing contemplatively. “Anyway, keep working on the shape-shifting. You’ll get it, don’t worry. Pleasant dreams!”

Frank didn’t have a chance to respond before his body dissolved, and he sunk into another dream. 

He spent the rest of the night tossing and turning before finally waking up, feeling absolutely  _ suffocated _ by his sheets. He shoved them off and sat back against his headboard, breathing hard.  _ Fuck.  _

***

For the next few days, Frank did everything in his power to avoid shape-shifting. Mars' promise that it would be easy hung heavy in his head, and Frank worked hard to keep from experiencing any intense emotions for fear that they would trigger a shift. When Percy tried to talk to him about the centurianship, Frank changed the topic; when Jason was applauded by the entire cohort, Frank looked at his hands; when Octavian started spewing lies about Percy's past, Frank dragged his friend away and told him a story from the Battle of Mount Othrys. It seemed like his life was packed full of intense emotions to avoid-- shame, anger, protectiveness-- so much so that he worried if he didn't start doing something soon they would all boil over.

At night, he lay in bed, shaking. He was exhausted from not sleeping, but too scared of having more nightmares to try. It wasn't even the nightmares that he was worried about, but the emotion they could bring. What if he got too freaked out and lost control of himself? What if he turned into a bear again? 

Frank knew that probably wasn't likely, but still, his fear remained. 

The worst night, he lay in bed, not even under the covers, and trembled. He was exhausted but jittery; tired but restless. Everything he'd been holding in shifted around in his mind, wanting to be expressed and make itself known, but he  _ couldn't _ , because then he'd turn into a bear or a bird or who knows what. He remembered the transformation, remembered his body ripping apart and putting itself back together in a new, hideous form. It had been violent, right? He wasn't misremembering it, right?

He lay like this, trapped in his own panic, for what felt like hours. No matter what he thought of to try and distract himself, it all backfired. Thinking of archery made him think of Mars. Thinking of his grandma made him think of her supposed death. Thinking of camp made him think about his failure to be promoted. 

There was no peace to be found, anywhere. Not even in his own mind. 

At some point, he felt himself cry, but even that felt detached. He felt as though he couldn't even move, could hardly even breathe--

There was a light knock on the door, and it pushed open. Frank sat up quickly, regaining control over his body at once. "What-- what are you--" 

Jason leaned against the doorframe heavily, hair a mess and glasses sideways. "Hey bro. Come on, let's move to the living room."

Frank got up, his legs tingly and body surprisingly cold. As he passed Jason, he hesitated, asking "How'd you know to come get me?" 

"Dreams," Jason said, sounding vaguely peeved about them. "Besides, I'm a centurion now. It's my job to look out for my legionaries."

Frank was pretty sure he was supposed to feel bitter at that, but he only felt relief. If being centurion meant Jason would help him out of his spiral, Frank would take it. 

They went to the bigger couch and Jason sat down against one armrest, with Frank plopping down half on top of him, torso resting against Jason's tangled legs. "You're heavy," Jason grunted when Frank accidentally sat on his foot. 

"I know," Frank agreed. 

"Have you slept at all?" 

Frank sighed, and shook his head. Jason let out a sympathetic hiss. 

Just then, Percy emerged from around the corner, seeming intrigued to see them. "Hey boys, I heard we were having a party." 

"It's not a party without balloons," Jason objected. 

"I'm sure that could be arranged," Percy said easily, plopping down on the other side of the couch, his knees knocking against Frank's. Percy’s face softened when he saw him, and Frank wondered what in his expression betrayed how he was feeling. He'd already wiped the tears away, and he wasn't sniffling or anything, so why was Percy able to just look at him and know something was wrong?

"I was thinking I could tell a story," Percy said, voice a little less playful now. He sat up a bit, leaning against Frank's bent legs. "Any requests?" 

Jason didn't say anything, and Frank realized they were both waiting for him. "I don't have anything in mind," he croaked out, hoping it didn't sound too pathetic. 

"I've got a request then," Jason said. "Something spicy." 

"Ahh, you want to hear about the sexual exploits of one Perseus Jackson," Percy said, rubbing his hands together. "I must warn you, these tales aren't for the faint of heart." 

"Give us your worst," Jason said, sounding all too excited about it. "I better have a shame boner by the end of the story."

Percy cackled. "Okay, okay, well let's see… I gave a girl head in the Temple of Ceres once?" 

Frank sighed heavily, but he felt some of the tension ease from his shoulders. 

"Dude," Jason was saying, "Why would you do that?"

"I didn't realize it was a temple! It was this random museum in Kansas, we just did it in a supply closet." 

" _ Why did you fuck someone in a museum? _ " 

"What, like I'd rent a hotel room in Kansas? Grow up." 

"This story gets worse with every sentence," Frank said, feeling like the only adult in the room. Despite that, he couldn't help asking: "So… did Ceres find out?" 

Percy's eyes widened. "Oh yeah, big time. She was  _ not  _ a fan. Apparently those were not the, erm, crops that needed harvesting." 

"I hate you," Jason declared, and Percy ignored him.

"It was fine, though. She sent some of her wheat children after me, Karpoi, ever heard of them? But it was fine, we dealt with them." 

Despite the ridiculousness of the story, Frank found himself actually feeling a bit better. His mind was having a harder time wandering, at least. "Was this the girlfriend you'd told me about?" 

Percy's expression slacked a bit, but he tried to brush it off. "Yeah, uh, over the summer. We got in a lot of scrapes like that; trouble always seemed to follow us." 

"You fucked in a holy temple," Jason argued. "That’s literally _ asking _ for trouble." 

"We didn't know it was a temple! And we didn't fuck, I just ate her out! I think Ceres was just being a prude." 

Frank kicked Percy. "Come on man, don't be disrespectful." 

Percy raised his eyebrows. "Oh yeah? What's she gonna do, fucking whole-grain-ass bitch? If she wants to smite me, she can go right on ahead." 

Frank and Jason went quiet, both glancing up at the ceiling to see if anything happened, smiting-or-otherwise. Nothing did. 

"See?" Percy maintained, eyes dark. "She's not gonna do shit." 

Jason shifted his legs, and Frank engaged his abs for a moment until Jason was done moving, then relaxed back against them, his head rested on Jason's knee. It was warm in the living room, and Frank could feel his breathing slow down, his body acknowledging this space as  _ safe.  _

Behind him, Jason was saying something, sounding concerned for Percy. "How do you get away with that, though? Why are you so sure the gods won't touch you?"

Frank wished he'd stayed awake long enough to know the answer, but in truth, he couldn't keep his eyes open. All of the adrenaline from earlier was gone, and he couldn't help but go limp, falling asleep in the pile of his friends. The last thing he thought before drifting off was one desperate prayer:  _ Please, let me wake up human.  _

***

Three days later, Frank still hadn’t changed form again. He felt the urge sometimes, the magic restless within him. It seemed like whatever it was within him that allowed him to do this had been lying dormant for a long time, but now it was fully awake and ready to roll. And Frank was… not. 

After three days of fighting with himself, Frank received a package. Jason delivered it, as the subordinate centurion, and Frank stared at him blankly. “Who’s it from?”

Jason shrugged. “Dunno. Does it say anything on it?”  
Frank tilted the package from side to side, looking, but there was no return address. “No.”

“Could it be someone from outside of camp?”

Frank hesitated, then shook his head. “I don’t have any remaining family.”

“Mood,” Jason agreed. “I have to get going, but give me the update on it later.”

Frank agreed, and returned to his room to open the package. He used the head of an arrow to cut open the tape, then pulled out a piece of paper and a small, dingy flip-phone. Frank didn’t have a phone since they attracted monsters, so the small metal device felt completely alien in his hand. 

The paper that came along with it read:  _ Don’t let fear consume you. Txt me if you need advice. - M _

“No way,” Frank said, feeling almost sick. Mars doesn’t talk to him for years, and now all of a sudden he gets him a phone?

He opened up the phone and immediately received a text:  _ Any questions? _

_ Yeah,  _ Frank thought.  _ What the fuck? _

He couldn’t exactly type that though, so instead he fumbled through a more serious question. One way or another, he had to deal with his powers, otherwise he was literally going to lose his mind. Besides, Mars clearly wanted him to figure them out, which was made even more apparent by the fact that he’d sent him a way to communicate with him. Frank had never heard of any demigod being given a direct line to their godly parent like this; child of Mars or otherwise. 

Frank needed to take advantage of this opportunity. So, he texted out the thought that had been haunting him for days:

**What if I shape-shift and get stuck like that?**

The response came instantly:  _ You won’t. _

**How do I know?**

_ You will learn to control your powers, like your ancestors did. And if you don’t, I’ll turn you back. No son of mine is going to live out the rest of his life as a pigeon.  _

Frank exhaled. That was something, at least. 

He typed out another one of his fears, hoping he wasn’t disrupting anything important for the god:  **What if I lose control?**

_ You won’t. Your mind remains the same when you transform, and the form you shift into will affect you only in minimal ways.  _

‘Only in minimal ways’ didn’t make Frank feel much better. 

Another text came through from his father.  _ The only way to face your fears is head-on.  _

Frank read that as ‘stop procrastinating, you helpless child’, which was fair. The god had gone through all the trouble of sending him a phone and messaging him to quell his doubts; Frank should really try to deal with this now. That way, if he disappointed his father, he could at least get it over with quickly. 

Frank pushed aside all of the thoughts of getting trapped in an unfamiliar skin, and made himself focus. Mars had mentioned a pigeon, so it was already on the mind, and Frank figured there wasn’t all that much damage he could do as a pigeon, so he might as well try. He closed his eyes and imagined himself as one of the little rat-birds that flocked around the Plaza, always stealing bites of people’s food and causing general havoc. He felt himself shift, and then just like that, it was done; he was a bird. 

_ Is that it?  _ He thought. It had been painful last time, he was sure-- but maybe that was just his panic talking?

He flapped his wings once, and then again, lifting up off the bed. He instantly knew this was a mistake, though, and careened hard to avoid flying into the wall, flapping more to try and gain any control, but the room was too small and he was too fast. Frank tried to swing around to avoid hitting another wall but did it wrong, and smashed directly into it. He dropped to the ground, and with a groan, thought  _ okay, yeah, this sucks. _

There was a knock on his door, and Percy peaked his head in. “Hey man, you ready to-- are you okay?”

Frank opened his eyes and looked down at his body, splayed across the floor.  _ His  _ body; it seemed like he’d transformed back in time. “Yeah,” he said, voice oddly shaky with adrenaline. “Yeah, I’m good, let’s go to-- wherever.”

Percy quirked a smile. “Combat practice.”

“Right.” Frank peeled himself off the floor, and plucked a stray feather off of his pants, cringing. “Let’s go.”

***

Frank tried to focus on combat practice, he really did, but his mind kept wandering back to his transformation. It had been so short, but it hadn’t hurt, face-plant aside. It hadn’t even been hard to turn back. Not to mention, well-- the flying had been pretty cool. Scary and intense, but cool. 

What had he been so afraid of?

When practice was halfway over, Frank managed to bring his focus back to what was happening. It was easy to get distracted, since technically he wasn’t the one training; Reyna had cleared Percy to start one-on-one practice fights with Jason, since Jason was the only one who really stood a chance against Percy and his blade. Frank was required to be there, his bow at the ready with specialty sedation arrows he could shoot if Percy lost the script. It seemed extreme, but when Frank thought back to that first fight between Percy and Jason and the expression on Percy’s face, it seemed like a pretty reasonable measure to put in place. 

Percy seemed to be doing alright at present, though. He and Jason were taunting each other back and forth, every few moments stepping forward and trying a move, only to get blocked. Frank was pretty sure each of them were pulling out their more impressive moves on purpose, trying to one-up the other person. Honestly, Frank still didn’t get their relationship; they fought and made fun of each other constantly, but it never seemed in bad humor, not since those first few weeks. The tension between them was undeniable; probably a Big Three thing. The sons of Jupiter and Neptune were just in a constant dick-measuring contest, and Frank was the unwilling witness. 

But the fight stayed playful throughout, and finally they took a break with no clear winner being called. Frank jumped over the fence into the arena, tossing them their water bottles. “Nice job, guys. Percy, you still doing good?”

“I’m great,” Percy said. “Though I think Jason might be about ready to give up.”

“You wish, Jackson.”

Frank rolled his eyes. “Yeah, okay. Let’s start up again in five, and once we do, maybe consider actually competing? Once one of you wins we can leave.”

“Sure thing.”

Once the break ended, they got back into it, fighting much more aggressively this time. There was a lot of back and forth, and Frank kept a tight grip on his bow as the intensity gradually increased, but Percy still seemed alright, so he didn’t do anything yet. Both boys were dripping sweat, and Percy was bleeding a little, but they kept going, harder, faster, until it looked like Jason was winning. Their swords locked, and they both pushed, trying to gain dominance, when Percy stepped in and twisted his blade. It caught on Jason’s, and with one sharp jerk, Percy sent his blade flying. He kicked him in the chest and Jason went down, hands raised in surrender as Percy put his foot on Jason’s chest, the tip of his blade under his chin.

Frank drew back the string of his bow, nervous, but Percy just chuckled a little, then moved his sword to help Jason up. 

“Good game,” Jason said, shaking his hand. 

Percy looked a little frazzled, but his smile was genuine. “Yeah, you too. Thanks for, uh. Playing.”

They cleaned up, then all walked to dinner together. “You still look a little out of it,” Frank mentioned, after a few minutes had passed and the derpy expression hadn’t left Percy’s face. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” Percy agreed. “Sorry, it’s just… that guy, you know, the one Jason kinda looks like? He taught me that move I won with. A couple times when we were fighting, I’d try to pull it on him, but it never worked, so it’s… cathartic, I guess. I’m glad this time it worked.”

***

That night, Frank snuck out of the barracks, climbing Temple Hill. The entire area was lit by torchlight, but no one was around, making it an ideal place to practice. Earlier in the day, he’d been so filled with anxiety that it had been easy, but some of the restlessness had faded since then. Frank had to really focus, honing in on the emotions dancing around in his mind, the fear, the anticipation, and… yeah, the  _ excitement.  _ Once he’d done that, he pictured the animal he wanted to become, and closed his eyes. When he opened them, his eyesight was 50 times sharper. He lifted his arms, and it only took one flap to send him into the air, gliding on the powerful wings of an owl. 

_ Oh yeah, _ he thought, all of the lingering anxiety draining away, being replaced by jubilation at the feel of flight.  _ This is good.  _

***

Things started getting better after that. Frank’s nightmares weren’t as constant, and he felt better about life in general. His dad was pleased with him, he was learning how to use his new powers, and he had great friends; what was there to be unhappy with?

He expressed these thoughts to Jason and Percy at the weekly campfire-- an idea Percy had, that Jason and Gwen implemented as a weekly group-bonding activity for the Fifth. It was fun, Frank decided, and nice to have time to just hang out with his friends. And, with his entire cohort there, all laughing and having fun in the firelight, everything just felt better. 

“I’m happy for you, man,” Jason said, in response to Frank’s comment. 

“Is there any reason things are going better for you?” Percy asked, sounding a little too curious. 

Frank shrugged, embarrassed. He wasn’t ready to tell anyone about his powers yet, not while they were still so new to him. “Sort of. But I don’t want to talk about it right now.”

“That’s fair,” Jason said. 

Percy hesitated. “Well, if we’re sharing sappy thoughts… I just wanted to let you guys know I’m doing a lot better too. Things just feel like they’re going well, you know? I feel like I’m becoming a real Roman. It’s… nice, to have a family again.”

Frank didn’t even respond, just grabbed Percy and pulled him into a (not literal) bear-hug. Jason joined in a minute later, squeezing them both tightly. For a moment, everything in the world just felt  _ right.  _ They pulled apart, and Frank was about to say something, when he saw the edge of a shadow move in his periphery. He should’ve moved more quickly, should’ve noticed the signs, but everything happened  _ so fast  _ there was nothing he could do but watch. 

The figure stepped out of the shadows-- not from behind them, but from  _ within _ them. Percy tensed, and the figure grinned, starting to say “Hey Fra--” before Percy jerked, leaping off of the bench and lunging at the figure. In a moment, the figure was slammed against a tree, so hard the leaves shook, and the shaft of Percy’s blade was at his throat. 

“Turn around and  _ go home _ ,” Percy growled, voice darker than Frank had ever heard it. “Forget what you saw. You’re not welcome here.”

From his spot against the tree, Nico squeaked, eyes wide. “ _ Percy?” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *side eyes intensify*
> 
> Lots happened in this chapter, so make sure to give me lots of long, thorough comments with your thoughts, reactions and theories😊! Also, if there's anything you'd like to see happen, let me know. There is a defined structure in terms of where this story is headed, but if anyone has an idea for something they'd be intrigued to see explored, there's probably room for it!
> 
> Additional note: Not all of the relationships that happen in this fic are tagged. Do with that information what you will ;)
> 
> Things that happened in this chapter:  
> \- Frank freaked out bc holy fuck he was a bear  
> \- Percy found him in the Garden of Bacchus  
> \- Frank made sacrifices to Mars and Bacchus  
> \- He dreamed of Mars again (by popular request-- I told you I pay attention!)  
> \- Frank was ~emotionally repressed~   
> \- More couch cuddled! :D Also Percy is a sexual deviant and Ceres is going to kick his ass one of these days  
> \- The package from Mars (and Frank's second transformation)  
> \- Percy and Jason's combat practice  
> \- Owl transformation  
> \- Campfire good vibes  
> \- Camp Jupiter's surprise visitor
> 
> See what I mean about comments? Give me lots and lots of details, because SO much happens in these chapters!!
> 
> Anyways, thank you to everyone who is commenting, and I hope you all have a great day! Next chapter coming out soon!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ;)

The figure stepped out of the shadows-- not from behind them, but from  _ within _ them. Percy tensed, and the figure grinned, starting to say “Hey Fra--” before Percy jerked, leaping off of the bench and lunging at the figure. In a moment, the figure was slammed against a tree, so hard the leaves shook, and the shaft of Percy’s blade was at his throat. 

“Turn around and  _ go home _ ,” Percy growled, voice darker than Frank had ever heard it. “Forget what you saw. You’re not welcome here.”

From his spot against the tree, Nico squeaked, eyes wide. “ _ Percy?” _

***

So. 

They had all been having a great day. Everything was going well. Frank and his friends shared a wonderful moment of thankfulness for the fact that things were so good, and yeah, okay, maybe that jinxed things a little. But seriously, to have things go wrong  _ that quickly  _ kind of felt like overkill.

For just a moment, Frank was stunned into stillness, before jumping up, reaching for Percy but not touching him. Percy’s sword was right up to Nico’s neck, and Frank had seen the destruction that weapon could do. If it could tear through the thick canvas training dummies like they were butter, what could it do to Nico’s neck?   
“Percy,” he said, voice quiet but commanding. “Put the sword down.”

“He’s an imposter,” Percy said under his breath. “A threat to the camp.”

“He’s Nico di Angelo,” Frank corrected, trying to keep himself calm. Now was  _ not _ the time to get so emotional he shape-shifted. “The only thing he’s a threat to is people with color in their wardrobe.”

Normally, that would get a glare from Nico, but the kid didn’t even react to the comment. Frank realized with horror that, while he and Percy had been talking, a dark smoke had curled up from the ground and started twisting around Percy’s body. 

Percy noticed too, and pressed his sword upward against Nico’s chin, forcing his head back. “Stop that!”

The smoke grew thicker, raising all the way up to float around Percy’s head, then dissolved all at once. Somehow, Nico’s eyes grew wider, and the Ghost King looked close to tears. “It’s really you.”

Percy growled. “Look--”

“It’s really you,” Nico repeated, more vehemently this time. Around them, more people turned to look, realizing what was going on, but Nico and Percy remained oblivious. “You’re him, you’re Percy-- not an illusion, or a monster, or… shit, you’re not even a ghost. You’re alive!”

“Turn around and  _ go home _ ,” Percy repeated one last time, and Nico scoffed. 

“You fucking-- where the fuck have you been?! It’s been years, Percy,  _ years--” _

__ Percy seemed to be struggling to keep his sword up, and with a frustrated noise threw it down, where it lodged a foot deep in the ground and started slowly sinking in. Percy shoved closer to Nico, one hand on his throat, the other over his mouth. Percy was considerably taller than him, so when he talked it was with a ducked head. “Stop it-- don’t--”

Nico seemed to go through a full range of emotions in the span of a second, first surprised by the hand over his mouth, then confused, then angry. He jerked, shoving Percy away and then kicking him hard in the chest. Percy stumbled back and Frank barely managed to catch him, but Nico wasn’t done, rushing forward like he intended to keep going. That was when Jason stepped in, blocking him and grabbing his wrists before Nico could slip away. 

“Hey!” he exclaimed. “Stop it, don’t touch him!” 

“I’m not gonna touch him, I’m gonna kill him!” Nico squawked. “Perseus Jackson, I’m gonna kick your fucking ass! All this time, you were  _ alive?!  _ You absolute  _ cock-sucker,  _ I’m gonna pound your ass into the fucking ground and  _ make you  _ meet my daddy, you floundering sperm--”

Percy scrambled to his feet, checking his pocket, but his pen hadn’t returned. Meanwhile, Nico had pulled out his sword from seemingly thin-air, a terrifying black stygian iron blade. Where Percy’s blade seemed to emit light, this one seemed to absorb it, making the air around it seem darker. Jason retrieved his sword and used it to block a blow, but Nico wasn’t swinging with the precision of a swordsman, but with the raw fury of someone who’d been wronged. 

Frank shoved Percy behind him, hissing “ _ How the fuck do you know Nico?” _

“Don’t worry about it!” Percy squeaked, looking like he really, really hated this turn of events-- or maybe like he was constipated. He checked his pockets again, but his sword was still anchored in the ground a few meters away; at this point, it had sunken almost all the way to the hilt. “Zeus’ hairy ass, if my fucking sword doesn’t return--”

Nico let out a devastating war cry, and two skeletons erupted from the ground. Around them, legionnaires freaked out, backing away and reaching for weapons that weren’t there. Weapons were heavy, so unless they were magically compact, like Percy or Jason’s swords, there was no reason to tote them around. That meant they were down to-- yeah, one weapon against the raging son of Pluto and his two skeleton warriors. 

Jason was managing to keep Nico busy for the moment, but he wasn’t going to win the fight unless he started going on the offensive, which he didn’t seem to keen to do. Something needed to change. 

Frank closed his eyes, and against his better sense, imagined a bear. Before he could transform, though, there was a huge  _ WHOOSH! _

He opened his eyes to find the son of Pluto on his hands and knees, spluttering and soaked to the bone. Nearby, a water pipe seemed to have exploded, stopping the fight in its tracks. Percy raised his hands, directing the stream of water to the advancing skeletons and blasting them with so much force their bones broke apart. When they were both disincorporated, Percy dropped his hands and stomped his foot. “Motherfucker!”

Gwen jogged over, looking harried but with her sword at her side, which was something, at least. “What the hell is going on?” She surveyed the damage-- the sword buried in the ground, the exploded water pipe, the bitchy son of Poseidon, and the water-boarded son of Pluto coughing up a lung on the ground. Jason hadn’t been spared, either, too close to Nico to avoid, and he sat on the ground too, dripping wet. 

Frank opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came out. 

A girl stepped forward from where she’d been hiding in the shadows, and ran over to Nico. “Nico!”

“I’m fine,” he insisted, then doubled over as he proceeded to cough up a lung. 

Frank frowned at the girl. She wasn’t anyone he recognized from camp, and was even shorter than Nico, with curly brown hair and dark skin. When she looked up, glaring, Frank took a step back, not expecting the daring gold of her eyes. “Get back!” 

Jason glanced back at Frank, looking desperate, and Frank decided Percy was fine for the moment and rushed to him. “This is Nico?” Jason asked, breathing hard. 

“Yeah,” Frank agreed, helping him up. 

“I don’t like him very much,” Jason decided. “And the girl?”

“Don’t know.”

“ _ Great _ .”

Gwen apparently decided she had enough information, and marched over to Nico. “Give me your sword.”

He glared up at her, eyes smudged with black-- had he been wearing mascara? “ _ No. _ ”

“You’ve had your fun little fight, now we deal with words. Give me your sword. You can make your case to Reyna about whether or not Percy deserves to be gutted, but this is Rome: we prefer our executions to go down  _ after _ trial by jury.”

“Tell that to Caesar,” Nico grumbled, but handed his sword over by the hilt. Gwen took it, holding it away from her body like it was a dead rat. 

“And who’s this?” She asked, gesturing to the girl.

“My name is Hazel Levesque, daughter of Pluto,” she introduced, eyes still burning with anger. “Nico brought me here to join the legion, but I don’t think I want to anymore.”

“Wait ‘til you meet our senior officers, you’ll change your mind,” Gwen promised, offering her a hand up. “If everyone at camp was like Percy, this place would’ve burned down years ago; I promise he’s an outlier.”

“Thanks,” Percy snarked, and Gwen flipped him off. 

Hazel took the offered hand and stood, brushing her jeans off and helping her brother up. Nico definitely had been wearing mascara, and looked very much like a drowned cat angry at the world. 

Gwen turned, leveling a dangerous gaze on Frank and Percy. “Now, let’s take this somewhere in private; unless you want to humiliate the Fifth further?”

“Tell the witch to give me my sword back,” Percy said, indignant, and Hazel stormed forward like she was about to strangle him herself, but thankfully Gwen held her back. 

“Percy, shut the fuck up for once in your life,” Gwen snapped. “Hazel, please retrieve his sword and give it to  _ me.  _ It’s better not to leave magic items just laying around.”

Hazel huffed but did so, pulling the sword out from where it’d sunk into the ground without effort. She handed it to Gwen, and Gwen glanced at Jason, giving him a look, but his sword was already back in coin form, and he slipped it into his pocket bashfully. 

***

They ended up reconvening in the mess hall, which at this time of day was completely empty. Percy and Frank sat on one of the couches and Nico and Hazel sat across from them, both children of Pluto glaring daggers, and  _ oh shit, there were two children of Pluto now.  _

Jason had managed to compose himself a little, and he and Gwen stood to the side, their backs straight and hands folded in front of them. Gwen had set the swords down on a table a little ways away, but as soon as she turned her back Percy’s sword disappeared. Percy slid his hand into his pocket slyly, and seemed to relax marginally. Nico’s sword disappeared then too, and though Nico wasn’t nearly as obvious, Frank had no doubt where the sword had gone. 

They were silent for a while, waiting for Reyna to arrive. Frank tried to process everything, but his brain didn’t really know where to go, and his mind kept going back to the same place. It was a pretty insignificant place, sure, but he couldn’t help it. 

“How’d you do that thing with Percy’s sword?” He asked Hazel, leaning forward. “What kind of magic is that?”   
Hazel just scowled at him, and Frank huffed, throwing his hands up. Stupid Big Three kids.

A minute later, there was some noise outside, the sound of wings and hooves; Reyna’s pegasus. Frank straightened right as the praetor marched inside, her purple cloak billowing behind her. “Centurions,” she greeted regally, then glanced over the remaining people in the room. “Nico, Frank. Percy.” She gave Percy a dirty look, then glanced over to Hazel. “And who’s this?”

“I’m Hazel Levesque, daughter of Pluto,” she greeted, and Reyna looked up to the ceiling. 

“Right. Another Big Three child. That’s exactly what we need right now.”

“The Big Three need to start using protection,” Percy said, unhelpfully. “Hell, they should’ve started about, oh, 19 years ago?”

“Agreed,” Jason and Nico said at the same time, and exchanged a dirty look.

“Be that as it may, welcome to Camp Jupiter, Hazel. I am sorry this wasn’t the reception you were anticipating, nor the reception I’m sure you deserve. Things have been a little messy as of late,” she said, giving Percy another dirty look. 

Frank felt himself prickle. “Can you guys, you know, stop being so mean to Percy? He didn’t actually do anything wrong.”

“Ehh,” Jason said, waggling his hand. When Percy shot him a look, he quickly straightened. “Sorry, I mean, yeah. We really should treat Percy with more compassion.”

“ _ Thank you, _ ” Percy said, crossing his arms.

Reyna rolled her eyes. “Now that that’s settled, would someone mind telling me what’s going on?”   
Gwen filled her in as everyone else sat and listened and tried not to look too guilty-- all except Percy, of course, who never looked guilty, even when he maybe should. And except Hazel, who didn’t really do anything wrong, and Nico, who just looked stressed, and-- yeah, okay, it was just Frank who looked guilty. 

Once Reyna was filled in, she cupped her chin, shaking her head. “I still need more information. Nico, Percy, how do you two know each other?”

“I killed his sister,” Percy said at the same time as Nico said “From camp.” Nico narrowed his eyes, and Percy shrugged. 

“Technically, I did.”

Frank did the mental math, and came up with a result he didn’t like. “Wait, there was another child of Pluto?”

“Yes,” Nico said, not looking pleased at the turn in conversation. “But that’s old news, water under the bridge. Percy and I know each other from camp, though. The…  _ other _ camp.”

Reyna paled. “Are we really doing this now?”

Nico didn’t look happy about it, but he shrugged. “Might as well.”

Jason raised his hand. “Sorry, but-- the ‘other’ camp?”

Reyna sighed. “There is, technically, another camp much like this one on the other side of the country. It’s been kept a secret for millenia, but it seems as though it might be time to come out about it. The leader of that camp, Chiron, and myself have been in contact for as long as I’ve been praeter. Nico is our messenger.”

Percy looked at Nico, seeming personally offended. “Wait, you  _ knew? _ ”

“I found New Rome when I was searching for answers about Bianca,” Nico said. “How did  _ you _ find it?”   
“Neptune led me to it!”   
Nico made a face like he’d just tasted something bitter. “You mean…  _ Poseidon _ led you to it.”

Percy shook his head. “No. Nico--  _ don’t _ , we can’t--”

Before he could finish, Frank interrupted. “Percy? What does he mean?”

_ Now _ Percy looked guilty.

Oh.  _ Oh. _

Frank reviewed everything he knew about Percy and his past, and tried to move it around based on what he’d learned so far tonight. Percy used to live somewhere else, where he learned to fight and was some sort of leader, but then something happened, and he ended up on that boat, with the guy with blond hair and golden eyes. He was on the boat for approximately two years, unless Frank  _ completely  _ misunderstood that part, and at some point he was able to escape into the water, where he prayed for his father to drown him. But his father didn’t. Instead, he sent him… here, to Camp Jupiter. But this wasn’t the first camp Percy had been at; he used to be at this other camp Nico was from. What had Nico said?  _ You mean Poseidon led you to it.  _ Not Neptune, but Poseidon, Neptune’s Greek iteration. Which meant…

“Technically-- and this is just a technicality,” Percy started, “I’m a son of Poseidon, not Neptune. Originally I’m from Camp Half-Blood, a camp meant for  _ Greek _ demigods, not Roman.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to hear all the thoughts!!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big chapter!!! :D

Frank didn’t flee. He _didn’t._

He did, however, get up to pace. If he didn’t, he was pretty sure he would freak out and turn into a chicken, or something, and that really wasn’t what anyone needed right now.

He took back what he’d thought about Percy earlier, because now Percy looked really guilty, sitting with one arm over the couch so he could glance back at Frank every few seconds, biting his lip anxiously. Frank’s urge to wrap him up in a blanket burrito was still there, but it was in second place on the agenda, right after throwing _himself_ into the ocean to drown.

A quick glance at Jason and Gwen told him that they were dealing with the new information about as well as he was. For years, they’d been told they were the only ones out there, only to find that not only are Greek gods still around, but so are Greek demi-gods. And apparently, Greek demigods had been living among them for some time. It wasn't exactly an easy thing to take in.

Reyna hadn't known Percy was Greek, so at least she wasn't keeping that from them too. "Are there any others at camp?" Frank asked, and Nico shook his head. 

"Nope, just Percy and I. I'm the son of Hades, technically, but Hazel is the daughter of Pluto. The demigods that survive long enough to get to camp usually are led to the correct camp."

"I still can't believe this," Jason said, shaking his head. "Aren't _graecuses_ \-- I mean Greeks-- aren't they bad?"

"That’s outdated information," Reyna said, a little sharp. "The Greeks are actually quite similar to us. In truth, I knew this day would come where we couldn't hide from each other anymore. At some point, it will become necessary for our camps to join forces, whether that be this year or a hundred years from now. I've been working to keep the divisions from growing too wide; that's why I forbade the word _graecus_ from being used as an insult. We have a chance to form an alliance now, before it is needed, and it is time we take that chance.”

“Assuming the two camps don’t kill each other first,” Percy said pessimistically. He didn’t seem to hate the idea. 

Nico turned to Reyna. “Camp Half-Blood won’t attack if you guys have Percy. This might be the exact thing we need to get a peace treaty set up.”

Reyna seemed to consider this, but Percy made a face. “Nico, you tried to kill me, like, ten minutes ago. I’m sure everyone else at camp feels the same as you do.”

“Not that you’d know,” Nico accused. “When was the last time you were at camp? It was before the Labyrinth quest, so what, three years ago? How do you expect to know how _anyone_ feels about your absence?”

“I brought a war to their doorstep and then _left!_ Sue me for thinking everything wouldn't be fine.”

“They’ll want to see you again,” Nico said patiently. “They’ll want it enough to forgive you.”

“Well, I don’t want to see them,” Percy snapped. “Do they believe that I’m dead?”

“Yes, but--”

“Good,” Percy announced with an air of finality. “Let’s keep it that way. Like you said, it was three years ago; they’ve moved on.”

Nico was still dripping wet, the strands of his black hair that weren’t pulled back in a bun hanging around his face. It didn’t exactly make him look less pitiful when he said: “You really think so?”

Percy couldn’t meet his eyes. “I know so.”

Nico hissed. “Percy, when you left, there was a void in the camp that needed filling. I filled it; _your destiny became mine._ So when I say I know what impact your disappearance had, and I know the impact you coming back would have--”

“Just leave it alone!” Percy shouted. “Why the fuck can’t you leave it alone, I don’t need--”

“Okay, let’s take it down a few notches,” Reyna said, holding her hands up placatingly. "We don't have to make any plans as of right now. Tonight, we should focus on dealing with the fight earlier, and getting Hazel situated. Gwen, Jason, would your cohort be willing to claim her?" 

Gwen and Jason make quick eye contact before Gwen announced proudly "Yes, praeter." 

Hazel gave Nico a nervous look, but he nodded, like _yeah, that's good news._

"In that case, you two can show Hazel around and get her a room in the barracks. You're dismissed." 

Hazel sent Nico another nervous look, but followed the centurions out of the room. That left Frank, Percy and Nico alone with Reyna.

She turned to face them, and Frank swallowed. "Percy, I would really appreciate it if you could minimize the amount of bloody fights you get into at camp," she said, a hint of cynicism in her tone. 

"I'll see what I can do," Percy said, and Reyna nodded, likely acknowledging that wasn't nearly the most bratty thing he could've said. 

She turned, eyes glimmering a little as she met Nico's gaze. "Do you have the package?"

He smiled back and took something out of his aviator jacket, tossing it to her. She caught it, and the item expanded into a full roman-style helmet. "Spectacular," Reyna said genuinely. "And how is Hylla doing?"

Nico answered, but Frank didn't pay attention, leaning over the couch and resting his chin on his palm. He was still focused on the fact that there was another camp like this one. Was it bigger, he wondered, or maybe the same size? Was it as beautiful as New Rome? How many legacies did they have? How was it hidden from mortals? Had it ever been found by any Roman campers, like Camp Jupiter was found by the two Greek campers?

"Frank?" Percy said, and Frank hummed, looking up. Reyna was gone, and Nico was across the room, picking the lock to the kitchens. "Ready to head out?”

Nico was still around, and Percy and him clearly had more to say, but if Percy didn’t want that specific confrontation right now, Frank wouldn’t push it. “Yeah, sure.”

They walked back to the barracks in silence, but once they got there, they kept on walking upon silent agreement, neither of them in a rush to get to bed. Frank didn’t want to deal with the expositional dreams that would probably come from this day, and he figured it’d be 50 times worse for Percy, who lived through so much of it already. So, they kept walking, heading in the direction of the Garden of Bacchus. 

“Are you mad at me for lying?” Percy asked, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Frank took a mental inventory. Was he mad? But when he thought it through… no, not really. He trusted Percy had a good reason not to tell him about it, and if there was one thing he’d learned from being friends with him, it was that sometimes you had to prioritize another person’s well-being over your own curiosity. 

All of these thoughts together lead him to answering “Nah, I don’t mind. I get it.” 

Percy nodded glumly, like he still felt guilty, and Frank nudged him gently. “Seriously, it’s fine. You don’t have to tell me anything.”

“But you’re my best friend,” Percy said. “It just feels kind of shitty keeping secrets.”

Frank kept walking, but mentally he’d stopped in his tracks. _Best friend?_ Him? But he was so-- and Percy was-- 

What on earth did Percy have to gain from being best friends with Frank?

“You’re my best friend too,” he said quietly, hoping Percy wouldn’t judge him for his momentary lapse in poise. “And, uh, seriously, you don’t have to tell me anything. Maybe you should fill Nico in on a few things though; not everything, maybe, but I bet he’d be a lot more understanding if he just knew--”  
Percy sighed loudly, nodding. “Yeah, no, I get it. He deserves to know. I just-- I don’t know how in the world I’m going to put it.”

“Well, if you wanted you could maybe… practice on me?”

Percy gave him a thoughtful look, and Frank immediately felt guilty. “You don’t have to, but--”

“No, you’re right,” Percy said. “It’ll help to rip the bandaid off, anyway. Okay, where to begin.”

“Nico said something about a destiny? Was that what Octavian had mentioned before?”  
Percy nodded stiffly. “Yeah. Yeah, okay, I can do this. There was this prophecy that everyone was really freaked out about, which basically said that a child of the Big Three would either save or destroy Olympus, and when I showed up at camp, I was the only child of the Big Three around.”

“Oof,” Frank said sympathetically. “No pressure.”

“Yeah, no kidding. So stuff started happening, and everyone was freaked out because Kronos was supposed to rise, and I had to be the one to defeat him. Nico showed up at one point, and then this other girl Thalia, a daughter of Zeus--”

“Wait,” Frank interrupted, “Like, Jupiter? There’s another child of Jupiter?”  
Percy cringed. “Yeah. Do me a favor and please don’t tell Jason? I wanted to, of course I did, but--”

“Yeah, no, I get it. Okay, so there were other Big Three children?”

“Yeah, but Nico was younger than me, and Thalia became a follower of Artemis which kept her from aging, so for a long time it was looking like I would be the child of the prophecy. And I’d accepted that, even though the prophecy was supposed to be like, super bad news. But then I was on this quest with my-- my girlfriend--”

By this point, they were in the Garden of Bacchus. Frank gave Percy a worried look as he stumbled over his words, and interrupted to say “Do you want to sit down?”

Percy’s breathing was picking up, and he nodded hurriedly, crouching down by the still-destroyed fountain. Instinctively, he reached over to dip his hand in the water, then ripped it back before he could, remembering. He cradled his still-dry hand to his chest, looking just about as bad as Frank had ever seen him. 

“I was on a quest with my girlfriend and this other girl, R-Rachel,” he said, clearly trying to power through. “We were in the Labyrinth-- don’t ask-- and we ended up getting pretty lost. Kronos’ army found us and took us to this arena they had where I was forced to fight for my life. That’s the dream you had, with the skulls hanging on chains from the ceiling.”

“Oh yeah, that one,” Frank said, trying not to get sick. “Go on.”

“Well, the monster I was fighting got in a good blow, and I almost died. I thought I died for a minute, actually, but then I barely pulled through, except-- my friends were gone. In the chaos, they’d managed to escape, and they left me there alone. Kronos’ army was allowed to proceed through the maze, and they decided to take me with them, because technically, they still had a hope of turning me onto their side.”

“You didn’t turn though, right?”

Percy looked absolutely horrified. “What? No, Frank, are you kidding me? Never!”

“Sorry!” Frank defended, raising his hands. “You just seem so ashamed, I thought maybe--”

“No, no, I would never,” Percy said, making it sound like an oath. “But still, they kept me. I was brought onto their boat, the Princess Andromeda, where the bulk of their army was held, and after they gave up on turning me to their side, they still kept me. I was-- I-- they made me--”

“You don’t have to tell me--” Frank tried, but already Percy was forcing it out, spitting out the words like they _hurt._

“They kept me as entertainment,” he hissed. “They-- they tortured me. It was funny, they thought it was so-- and I was so ashamed. Ever since I arrived at Camp Half-Blood, people were telling me I was special, I was the one who would save Olympus. But I couldn’t even save myself.”

Frank bit his lip hard, looking away. He wasn’t going to cry, not now, not here. _You could shift,_ an obnoxious little part in his mind said, and he pushed it away. 

_Shut up._

_You could, though. If you turned into a duck, you wouldn’t have to feel bad anymore. Ducks have a very low tolerance for grief._

Frank made himself focus on the present moment, hoping that by engaging his human senses, he would settle himself in his current, human form. The sky was dark overhead, but the moon was mostly full, and there were torches all around that kept it feeling a lot earlier in the day than it actually was. The garden, as always, was beautiful, and smelled it too. The bitter scent of aging fruit was all around them, not overwhelming, but present. 

Beside him, the son of Neptune-- Poseidon-- breathed in shallow, careful breaths. They were both sitting on the ground, and Percy had pulled his knees to his chest, looking younger than his age. 

Frank set a hand on his knee, and Percy looked up, rubbing his hand under his eye. “I’m a mess,” Percy said grimly, looking away. “I have to finish the story though. And if I cry now-- fuck it, it’s better than crying in front of Nico.”

“I’m pretty sure anything would be better than crying in front of Nico,” Frank agreed, and Percy laughed. 

“Yeah, pretty much. Okay. Okay.”

Frank waited for him to go on, but when he didn’t he prompted: “How old were you then?”

“Fifteen, technically,” Percy said, and Frank shook his head. “Yeah, I know, it sounds _so_ young now. I don’t know why people thought it was okay to put all that pressure on me back then, but… I don’t know. I guess they thought they might as well; no one expected me to last this long.”

“But you did,” Frank reminded him. “So, you were 15, being held prisoner on the boat. What happened when you turned 16? Did the prophecy--”

Percy shook his head bitterly. “Nothing happened. Well, nothing regarding the prophecy. Luke--” he stopped in his tracks, shivering all over. “Yeah, no. Nothing happened. Turns out, I wasn’t the child of the prophecy.”

“After all that? You just-- weren’t?”

Percy shook his head. “The prophecy did come to fruition, though. A war took place, and Kronos lost. And all the while, I was still being held hostage on that-- that fucking boat. I was still held on the boat for a few months after the Titan’s army lost, but finally, I was able to escape. I jumped into the harbour--” 

“And prayed for your father to--” Frank said, then quickly cut himself off, feeling sick.

Percy’s face twisted up in disgust. “Yeah. Like I said, the gods have no concept of privacy. You’ve seen my-- my weakest, most private moments, and there’s nothing I can do about it.”

Frank felt a new wave of guilt crash over him. “Percy, I’m so--”

“No no, like I said, there’s nothing I-- nothing _either_ of us can do about it. It’s the fucking gods, playing their fucking games. I escaped Lu-- Kronos’ boat, but still they just see me as a fucking _pawn--”_

“Yeah, it-- it blows,” Frank said, trying to interrupt Percy before he could spout more blasphemy. “Okay, so, the prophecy came to fruition. Who was the child, then? The child of Zeus, or--”

“It was Nico,” Percy said sadly. “I couldn’t be sure, but the Titan army talked. I knew Nico was starting to become a more significant figure at camp, and when the final battles took place, it was around the time he was supposed to be turning 16.”

Frank imagined the scrawny kid from earlier, leading battles of heroes up against a Titan army. When Nico was at Camp Jupiter, he was an outcast. There was a reason Nico liked hanging around Frank on his visits, and it wasn’t because he was _popular._

Frank thought about Percy on the boat, stuck there for years-- not two years, but closer to three, if Frank’s math was right. There was one thing that didn’t line up, though. “Okay Percy, I’m going to say something really awful, alright? And if you hate me afterward, feel free to, I don’t know, drown me in this fountain, okay?”

Percy raised his eyebrows, looking dubious. “Okay?”

“You were on a boat,” Frank started, genuinely hoping he didn’t ruin their friendship over this. “Your father is Poseidon. How did you-- I mean-- how come--”

Percy sighed, and rubbed his face tiredly. “How come I didn’t escape, even though I was in a boat and I’m the son of the sea god? There was magic completely surrounding the boat, powerful magic. It kept Poseidon from interfering and sinking them, but it had the added bonus of blocking all of my powers. I couldn’t fight using magic, I couldn’t use water to heal me-- I couldn’t even use my sword. It returns to my pocket whenever I lose it, you know? But that’s my father’s magic, so when his magic is entirely blocked--”

“They could just take your sword, and it wouldn’t come back to you,” Frank finished, and Percy nodded. 

“I had no sword and no powers. I was-- I hadn’t felt that helpless since I was a kid. But still, I’d been training for years. I was supposed to be the best of the best-- I was supposed to lead an army. But I couldn’t even protect myself.”

“You were outnumbered, without your weapon _or_ your magic,” Frank reminded him. “It wasn’t your fault!” 

“It was _entirely_ my fault. My quest, my destiny, my magic. I was the one who got myself into that situation, and I was the one who couldn’t get out. There’s a reason I’m not scared to curse the gods’ names; they’re not going to retaliate against me. I already humiliated myself, already was shown a weakling, a laughingstock. I’m not worth it as a target.” Percy looked directly up at the sky, and flipped it off with both hands. “And _that’s_ why all of the gods can _suck my dick._ ”

Frank waited, but there wasn’t even a little bit of reprimanding thunder. 

Percy sighed. “See what I mean? This is why I don’t use my powers-- well, _try_ not to use them, tonight was an exception. It’s better Poseidon just forgets about me.”

Frank opened his mouth to object, then closed it. “You know what? I’m tired of objecting. Yeah, maybe.”

Percy laughed, sounding surprised but not upset. “I knew I’d wear you down eventually.”

“Yeah, one dramatic backstory later--”

Percy coughed out another laugh, then pulled out his pen. Frank was worried for a second, and wondered if he should turn into something to try and avoid the wrath of the son of Poseidon, but Percy just flipped the pen around his fingers, watching as it’s polished surface reflected back the light of the moon. “I don’t want to be anyone else’s pawn. I just-- if I can just manage to be unremarkable, I’ll be happy.”

“I don’t know if you’ll ever get there,” Frank admitted. “You’re pretty remarkable. But I definitely think you can be happy. You don’t have to do anything else amazing, don’t have to go on any more quests or face any more prophecies. You can just be a legionnaire, then retire to the city, attend college, get a job waiting tables--”

“Sell flowers on the side of the road,” Percy offered, going along with Frank’s train of thought. “Sell pictures of my feet online for money.”

Frank stared at him. “Is-- is that your definition of normal? Like, is that what you think normal people do?”

Percy shrugged, but he was clearly trying to hide a smile. “Maybe.”

“You seriously--”

“There is one issue, though,” Percy said, stopping Frank before he could psychoanalyze his future career paths further. “Now, Reyna is wanting to use me as a pawn again to unite the camps, and I seriously don’t want to be used like that again.”

Frank leaned on his hand, sighing. “Yeah, I think you’re right. And there’s not a single part of you that doesn’t want to see your friends anymore?”

Percy hesitated. “It’s better I don’t.”

“But would you want to?”

He huffed. “They won’t want to see me. Nico and I weren’t even close, and that was his reaction. Imagine what Annabeth or, fuck, even Grover would do?”

“I can’t imagine because I don’t know them,” Frank reminded. “But-- I don’t know, it seems worth thinking about. And now Nico’s here, and you can talk to him about it. He knows the situation better than either of us at this point; maybe he can help?”

Percy sighed. He scooted over a little, changing the way he was sitting to lean against the fountain, and Frank did the same, so they could sit side by side. Percy rested his knee against Frank’s, another one of those little touches he did all the time. Frank wondered if this was how he was with everyone, or if he’d be completely different with a romantic partner. When he was dating Annabeth, did he bump his knee against hers, or did they touch a lot more?

Frank remembered the story Percy had told him about fucking in a temple, and decided yeah, Percy was probably _way_ more physical with a romantic partner. Hell, he was notably more physical with _Jason_ , though that physicality usually came out in the form of sensual sword fights, and not platonic knee-taps. 

_Was Percy attracted to Jason?_  
Frank shook his head. Now _that_ was a weird thought. He should stop staying up so late.

“Yeah,” Percy said, still on their previous conversation, and Frank made himself come back to the present. “I do need to talk to Nico. And besides, if he got my destiny, no wonder he was so mad. My destiny fucking _sucked._ ”

***

By the time they got back to the barracks, Frank was so tired he nearly fell over walking. He needed sleep, but nothing sounded worse right now than to be assaulted by even more dreams. He prayed to Mars for rest, but it was half-hearted. He’d been praying for rest for weeks now, and still, nothing.

He crawled into bed alone. The weight of the day hung heavy on his shoulders. After they’d finished talking, Percy had thanked Frank seriously, telling him what a good friend he was, how much he appreciated him, on and on, and Frank appreciated it, he did, but he didn’t feel like he really deserved it. All he did was listen. 

His mind was a faulty home-recorder, playing back memories almost at random, making Frank want to _scream_ in frustration. He saw every fight, saw every nightmare, heard every scream, real and imagined, Nico’s war cry and dream-Percy’s sob for help, every one, over and over and over--

Frank climbed onto his bed pitifully, rolling under the covers, but it wasn’t enough. Everything was _so loud_ ; why was it all so loud? Why couldn’t he _think?_

Desperately, he hid his head under his pillow, imagining he was small and soft, that he could bury himself in his bed sheets so deep no dreams could ever touch him again. Somewhere along the line, he felt some semblance of peace, and, not knowing how long it would last, Frank passed out, praying that finally he would get rest. 

***

Frank woke up the next morning not sure if he’d slept at all. It felt as though some time had passed, but his mind felt so empty, and there hadn’t been any dreams, so how was that possible?

There was a knock on his door, and for once, Frank didn’t sit up, not wanting to be dragged back into the real world. The door opened, and Percy asked “Frank?”, but before Frank could say anything, Jason said “He must’ve gotten up already, come on.” They left, closing the door behind them, as if they really hadn’t seen Frank at all. 

Frank had been fully covered by the sheets, but he wasn’t exactly a small guy. How the hell did they _not_ see him?

He answered his own question as soon as he detangled himself from the sheets, and found that he was no longer a person. During the night-- before he fell asleep, probably-- he’d turned into a pug. 

And he hadn’t had any nightmares. 

Huh. 

He turned back into a human and fumbled for the phone Mars had given him, which he’d left in his bedside drawer. Not caring about whether or not he was disturbing the god, he typed out a quick message: **Was that the key all along?**

Mars responded instantly. _You shouldn’t be so surprised. Pugs are very noble creatures with a high level of resilience. We should all be more like pugs._

**I’m never sleeping as a human again.**

_Good luck with that. I’m sure your honeymoon night will be interesting._

Frank made a face at his phone, and put it away again. 

On the negative side, Mars made dad jokes, which wasn’t good at all. But on the positive side, Frank might have just figured out the key to stopping his nightmares for good. 

_Things can only get better from here._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter:  
> \- Frank Coped(TM) with the fact that Greeks exist  
> \- Reyna brought up her plan to unite the camps  
> \- Percy and Nico talked  
> \- Percy and Frank talked and Percy told Frank about his past  
> \- Frank went back to his room and turned into a pug :P
> 
> Ahh, so many answers being revealed! I'm super excited to hear what you have to think! Did any part of the background Percy shared surprise you? What do you think about Percy's feelings toward being used as a pawn? What do you think about the way Percy's various relationships with others (with Frank, Jason, Nico) are evolving? Let me know in the comments below!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for brief joke about Nazism. It's anti-Nazi, and I think it's in good taste, but proceed with caution I guess?

Percy and Jason were already gone by the time Frank made it to the dining hall, so he headed to their normal table in the back, thinking he’d sit alone and eat quickly. Then he saw Nico, picking at some food a couple of tables over, and sighed. Technically, he had time…

Steeling his nerves, he joined Nico at the table, sitting on the couch across from him. “Hey,” he greeted, trying not to let his hesitance shine through. “Mind if I join you?”

“Go for it,” Nico said, and a wind spirit dropped Frank’s food off for him, as if it’d been waiting for Nico’s permission. 

This wasn’t the first time this had happened. Frank never liked to see people eating alone, though normally he didn't intervene. Nico just seemed so _lonely_ sometimes, Frank felt bad _not_ joining him. It didn’t help that most of the legionnaires were afraid of Nico, seeing as he was the child of Plu-- Hades. Frank certainly wasn’t comfortable with him, but he was capable of hiding his unease to be a decent person. He didn’t know if the son of Hades found it annoying or appreciated the gesture, but he hadn’t complained yet, so Frank kept doing it. 

Now, of course, it was different. As Frank began to eat, he could feel the tension from the night before settling back on his shoulders. 

Nico didn’t say anything, so Frank looked around, trying to find something to talk about. “So…” he started, unsure. “Where’s Hazel?”  
“Still sleeping,” Nico answered. Somehow, he even managed to make that sound dark and gloomy. “I think the adjustment for her is going to be hard. I’ll stay for a week or so, as long as she needs me, before heading back to…” he trailed off, as if remembering he didn’t actually have to lie. 

“To the other camp?” Frank finished for him. 

“Don’t say it too loudly,” Nico warned. Frank made a mental note to be more cautious; he didn’t want to be the one to spill the beans about the Greek camp to the rest of the legion. Not only could that potentially fuck Percy over, but it would mean Frank getting on Reyna’s bad side, a place he had _firmly_ avoided for the past four years. 

Nico sighed, pushing his scrambled eggs around on his plate. Frank had scrambled eggs too, but his looked notably brighter, as if just by being on Nico’s plate the food had lost color. “So, you’re friends with Percy?" Nico questioned glumly. "Has he told you about his past?”

“We’ve talked,” Frank said, careful to avoid saying anything that would violate Percy’s privacy. “He wants to talk to you later today, I think. It sounds like you have a lot to discuss.”

Nico shook his head, looking up at the ceiling. “An understatement. It’s weird knowing he’s been alive all this time. I looked for him everywhere in the Underworld with no luck. I figured he might’ve tried for rebirth, like my sister, but my father wouldn’t tell me one way or another.”

“Why not?” Frank asked, genuinely curious. Nico was the only demigod he’d ever known to have an actual relationship with their godly parent, besides maybe Percy, though of course that relationship was strained. Roman gods were very detached from their children. 

Nico shrugged. “Who knows. Gods are just like that sometimes; there’s some things they can interfere with, and some things they have to keep quiet about. Also, I think I annoyed him a lot more back then. That was before I’d stepped up at camp; I think he still preferred my sister over me.”

“Bianca, right? Not Hazel.”

“Right,” Nico confirmed. “Hazel is… a whole different story. Her past is complicated, even more so than mine, but I think Camp Jupiter will be good for her. It’ll take some… adjusting… but I think she’ll do well.”

“How’d she do with Lupa’s training?”  
Nico bit his lip. “She didn’t get any.”

“What?” Every Roman demigod went to Lupa’s wolf house before joining the legion. _Frank_ had gone to the wolf house-- four years ago, when he still dreamed of his family home going up in flames every night. It was a necessary initiation, a place where demigods’ wits could be tested, and they begin training their skills. 

“The path didn’t make sense for her,” Nico said, shrugging. “I trained her myself, in the Underworld. It was only a few months, but she won’t be completely in the dark about this world.”

_‘This world’?_ Frank wondered. _You mean, New Rome?_ _  
_ “I guess,” Frank said. He was about to say something else when he noticed someone looking at him from across the dining hall. It was another legionnaire, some girl from the Second Cohort, and she looked away as soon as Frank met his eyes, leaning away to whisper to her friend. When Frank further assessed the dining hall, he found that multiple other people were looking at him-- well, looking at Nico, more likely. 

He sighed. “It looks like the gossip train has already started.”

“I’m pretty sure it started last night when I tried to skewer Jason,” Nico pointed out. “Somehow, I get the feeling that incident isn’t going to make me _more_ popular.”

“Probably not,” Frank agreed. He remembered the fanfare after Jason returned from his quest, and internally corrected himself: _definitely not_. “I hope Hazel does alright with rumors.”

“She can handle them, but I doubt it’ll be an enjoyable experience for anyone. Rumors have never been her friend.”

“I don’t get why people would spread rumors about more powerful demigods,” Frank mused. “Like, don’t they know better?”

Nico snorted. “What would you suggest they do instead, befriend them? Actually, don’t answer that. I’m pretty sure that’s genuinely your strategy.”

“Ha, maybe,” Frank said, smiling. “But no, I just get along well with Percy and Jason. It has nothing to do with perceived abilities. Besides, Percy rarely uses his powers anyways.”

Nico raised an eyebrow. “Seriously?”

Frank frowned. “Yeah? I mean, it seems like he has some sort of water powers, but he prefers not to use them too much. It’s not like you can do that much with water powers anyways.”  
A pained expression slowly spread across Nico’s face. “Frank, Percy is probably the most powerful demigod I’ve _ever_ met. His powers aren’t reserved to just bursting pipes, like he did last night-- he can breathe underwater, talk to marine life, bend water to his will. I’ve seen him create huge storms without even noticing he was doing it.”

“Wow.” Frank could imagine it. He wondered if Percy would be willing to start using his powers more after the incident last night, or if he would still stubbornly avoid them. His relationship with his father had improved since getting to camp, if his semi-frequent visits to the Temple of Neptune said anything, and his overall comfort in his own skin had gone up too. Maybe that meant he’d be willing to use his powers more?

“He’s pretty amazing,” Nico said wistfully, if a little sad. “I’m glad he’s alive-- even if I still want to strangle him for disappearing on us.”

“You need to talk to him,” Frank insisted. “He’s been through a lot.”

“We’ve all been through a lot,” Nico reminded him, his voice taking on a ghostly pitch. “My entire camp has been on the brink of destruction for years. He left, and everything just got so much worse. Less than a month after he disappeared, Kronos’ army invaded camp. Half of the buildings burned, and we lost a dozen demigods. There was never any time to fully recover; we were too busy with quests, war councils, strategy meetings. Then the war happened, and we had to fight camp half-blood defectors, kids who never got claimed by their godly parents and thought they’d be better off joining the Titans. There was this whole situation with these spies… shit was bad. We won, but not without even more casualties. We’re _still_ trying to rebuild.”

“I can’t imagine,” Frank said, genuinely. Camp Jupiter had also been invaded, but it had been much more small scale, and they’d quickly fought their attackers off. As for the war… well, it was more of a single battle than a drawn out war. It had been hard, yes, but an opportunity for demigods to show off their training, gain honors. Things had never felt truly hopeless. 

Nico shifted, looking uncomfortable. “Yeah, well. I’m sure Percy didn’t have it easy, but I doubt he had it as hard as the people he left behind.”

***

It turned out Nico and Frank were headed in the same direction, so after breakfast they walked together to their separate training sessions. They stayed quiet as they walked, and Frank reflected on what he’d learned, as well as Nico overall. His perception of the kid had been rapidly shifting ever since he found out about Nico’s role at the other camp. It was hard to imagine Nico as a default outcast, now that he knew about his leadership role at Camp Half-Blood. It sounded like he had more friends at that other camp, too. Really, it was no wonder it had been so long since Nico had visited New Rome-- or why he was in such a rush to get Hazel acclimated, so he could return to New York. 

Still, that meant there would be another child of Pluto living at Camp Jupiter full time. Frank wasn’t sure if camp could handle another child of the Big Three, but he supposed they’d have to see. Maybe Hazel would get along better than Nico, anyway. She didn’t seem very social, given her hostile attitude last night, but those had been extenuating circumstances. 

Frank was staring at the grass, which died underneath Nico’s feet, so he didn’t notice Jason approaching until he was almost in front of them. “Hey Frank!” he greeted, grinning wide. “And Nico, we didn’t really get a chance to meet last night. My name is Jason Grace, co-centurion of the Fifth Cohort.”

“Grace, huh,” Nico said, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “Interesting.”

“Uh, yeah,” Jason said. He’d been going for a handshake, but he dropped his hand, trying to play it off as casual. 

“Sorry about last night,” Nico said coolly. “I don’t normally sword-fight on the first date, but you caught me on an off day.”

“O-oh?” Jason said, seeming caught off guard. His cheeks blushed bright red. “First--”  
“It’s a joke,” Nico said, smiling coyly. “Don’t get your toga in a twist.”

“Okay, consider my toga un-twisted,” Jason said, still flustered. He glanced down at himself, as if confirming that he wasn’t wearing a toga. 

“So, you’re a Son of Jupiter,” Nico prompted, casually intrigued. “Can you, like, fly or something?”

“No,” Jason said, at the same time as Frank said “Yes.” Jason gave him a dirty look. “It’s not really flying, it’s more like controlling the air around me. I promise it’s a lot less impressive than it sounds.”

“Bold of you to assume I was impressed,” Nico said, with a quirk of his lips to show he was just teasing. “Come on Frank, lets keep walking. Places to go, people to scare.”

“This is actually where I turn,” Frank said, which wasn’t untrue. “But I’ll see you later.”

Nico shrugged. “Sure. Bye Jason.”

“Bye, nice to-- twist your toga.”

Nico grinned like a fox, and kept walking forward. Frank made his turn, Jason walking beside him, and waited a count of five before saying “What the fuck was that?”  
“He caught me off guard,” Jason complained. “It’s nothing.”

Frank glanced at him, looking for clues in his face. “Don’t get mad, alright, but-- Jason, are you gay?”

“No,” Jason said immediately, cheeks still red. “Or if I am, then only a little.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Either way, I’m not attracted to Nico,” he amended. “He’s too young, anyways. His flirting just surprised me. And it worked because, well, he’s my type. But I’m not into _him.”_

Frank stopped, giving him a weird look. “Goth sixteen-year olds are your type?”

“Not _sixteen year olds_ ,” Jason said intensely. “And not goth either, necessarily. Just people with dark hair, you know? Girls, mostly. Almost exclusively.”

“You Big Three kids never fail to surprise,” Frank said, shaking his head. “What, you don’t want to date some nice blonde girl?”  
“And have little Aryan dream babies?” Jason said, making a face. “No thanks.”

Frank laughed. “Fair enough.”

They went to archery training together, where Frank, of course, excelled. Jason didn’t, and Frank took pity on him, giving him pointers and helping him with his form. He doubted the son of Jupiter would ever need to use a bow, especially if he was fighting with the legion, but it was a useful skill to have. After they worked together for a while, Frank went back to his own target, showing off just a little. It was nice to be better than Jason at something, and Jason didn’t seem to mind, so it was fine. 

Besides, their next stop was the sword-fighting arena, where Frank knew he was about to be shown up. They were going to just practice one on one, but their plans changed when they entered the arena, and found Percy already inside, leaning against his sword boredly. Percy looked notably worse for wear, eyebags prominent and hair tousled, and Frank was reminded that not everyone could turn into a pug to avoid dreams. 

“Hey,” Jason greeted. “Are you fighting with us today?”

“If you don’t mind,” Percy said, voice tight. “I think I could use an outlet.”

“Fine by me,” Frank said. “Just try not to skewer me, alright?”

Percy grinned, but it was without humor. “We can do something light if you want. What were you originally planning to do?”  
“Just drilling,” Frank said shyly. “Maybe some light sparring?”

“That’s fine by me,” Percy said, walking away to get out the canvas dummies. Frank and Jason exchanged a worried look. 

They drilled for a little while. Frank used a practice sword that felt too short and light for his larger frame, but it was the best he’d been able to find. Physically, he could do the movements, but it didn’t feel at all intuitive. He had to think too much, and he knew he’d do no good using a sword in a real fight. He was technically better than he was when he joined the legion, but he couldn’t decide if he should be pleased by this, or disappointed that the improvement was so minor. 

Finally, Jason pulled Frank away, and they started sparring lightly. Jason set up strikes for Frank to defend against, and gave him openings to try different attacks. 

“Go for the left,” Percy called from the sidelines. “Nice, just try and raise your blade more next time. Okay, block it. Faster next time, he could’ve gutted you there. Don’t back up too much, you don’t want to give him an advantage--”

This continued on for some time before they called a water break. 

“That was a lot of coaching you were doing,” Jason said to Percy, sounding a little testy. “Should I just step back, let you lead the training?”

“Maybe you should,” Percy said, playing along. 

Jason gestured his forward, saying “Oh, be my guest.”

Percy rolled his eyes, but flipped his sword around his knuckles, standing ready. "Frank, let me know when you’re ready.”

Frank set his water bottle aside and jogged back over, hefting his sword. “Ready.”

Percy didn’t jump him, like Frank half expected, but brought him back over to the canvas dummies, where he went through a series of new moves. His style was more focused on slashing than stabbing, and as he continued showing them to Frank, Frank started noticing a trend.

“Are you teaching him _graecus_ moves?” Jason said, sounding tired. 

“Maybe,” Percy said. “Is there a problem with _graecus_ moves?” 

“Besides the fact that they suck?” Jason said, teasing, and Percy narrowed his eyes. He brought both hands around to grip his sword, exaggerating the motion as to not take Jason by surprise, and stepped forward, swinging. Jason parried easily, then hit his blade hard with his own hilt-- a dirty move, not a Roman one. Percy narrowed his eyes, and counter-attacked, and within seconds they were fighting, falling into step like sword-fighting was a dance they knew by heart. Frank stopped practicing to watch, acknowledging that no matter how hard he practiced, he’d still never choose a sword over a bow. He was okay with that. 

He did get the appeal, however, watching Jason and Percy. They were both beyond talented, and they fought back and forth, leaning into their own personal styles, Greek and Roman, and then switching things up to better defend against the other’s attacks. This kept going until Percy tried a jab-- a Roman move-- and Jason dodged, knocking Percy’s weapon right out of his hand and kicking him. Percy fell hard, not even trying to avoid it, and landed on his back with an oomf. He didn’t try to get up. 

Jason sheathed his sword. “Good match. You alright?”

“Fine,” Percy said, not sounding very genuine. “I fight like a Greek.”

“I like your Greek fighting,” Jason said sincerely. 

Percy shook his head. “I don’t want to be a Greek; I shouldn’t fight like one.”

  
“Then I’ll teach you to fight like a Roman,” Jason said, like it was the easiest thing in the world. He offered Percy a hand up, and after staring at it for a moment, Percy took it. 

“I could teach you too,” Frank said, aiming for humor. “In case you didn’t notice, I’m an expert.”

Percy tried for a smile, but the tension behind his eyes was still there. “Thanks, guys. How about we get started next practice.”

Jason wiped the sweat off his brow. He hadn’t sweat much when training with Frank, but Percy always made him work hard. Even on Percy’s off day, when he was trying new techniques, he was an expert swordsman. “Sounds good to me. I think I’m done for the day. Frank?”

“Yeah, same here,” Frank agreed. He was ready to shower and give his muscles a break. 

***

Frank had an enjoyable, but busy rest of his day. He had lunch, then monster lessons, Latin practice, war games set-up, and then dinner with Jason. Reyna ended up joining them at dinner, sitting next to Jason and talking to him about some conversation from earlier in the day, and Gwen and her girlfriend stopped by too, talking to Frank. It was fun, and by the end of it Frank was in a good mood, feeling happy to be at camp, surrounded by friends. He forgot to look around, be aware of his surroundings. He didn’t even notice the two people who were absent. 

He and Jason walked back to the barracks together in a companionable silence. Romans ate late in the evening, so it was already dark, and Frank was tired enough he thought he might go to bed early. They entered the barracks, going to their specific hall, and Frank made it all the way to his own door before he processed the noise. 

He glanced down the hall, where Jason had paused outside of his own room, head cocked. He met Frank’s eyes, frowning like _is that what I think it is?_

Frank felt his heart sink, and changed courses, walking over to Percy’s door. The noise only got louder, sounding like-- well, like crying. 

Frank knocked on the door. “Percy?”

There was no response, though the noise stopped. Frank knocked again, but when he got no response, he pushed the door open. 

Percy was sitting cross-legged on his bed. Frank’s first reaction, strangely enough, was to note how _bland_ Percy’s room was. He had no decorations; his bed was made with the regulation white sheets; his walls were blank. Frank’s room wasn’t exactly a work of art, but at least he had photos, mementos, a few pillows that he’d had to go into the city to buy himself. Sure, Frank had been living here far longer than Percy, but _still_.

And the second thing he noticed-- that really should’ve been his first thing, he knew-- was that Percy was crying. 

He held a pillow in his lap, and was doubled over it, face pressed into the cotton as he sobbed. He was clearly trying to make an effort to be quiet, but the longer Frank stood there, the more Percy’s body shook, unable to contain his misery. 

Frank hurried over to his side, Jason coming around to the other side, but neither of them seemed to know what to do. “Percy?” Jason said, unsure, but Percy didn’t respond. His entire body was trembling, and his stomach rose and fell with his fast breath. 

“Hey,” Frank said, trying to staunch his panic. “Hey, Percy, it’s gonna be okay. What happened? What’s wrong?”

Percy shook his head, still buried in pillows. He made a horrible choking noise, letting out another sob, and tried to hold the pillow closer to his face to muffle the noise. “I’m-- sorry,” he said, voice broken. “I-- I-- I--”

“It’s okay,” Frank repeated, though he didn’t really know what he was talking about. He’d never seen Percy like this. He wracked his mind, trying to figure out what could’ve caused this, but nothing in particular stuck out.

Percy tried to move the pillow away, and Frank got a glimpse of red eyes and a tear-streaked face before Percy covered it again. “I’ll get some tissues,” Frank announced, jogging out of the room. 

He came back a minute later, finding Jason with his hand on Percy’s shoulder, murmuring to him quietly. After a few moments of coaxing, Frank got Percy to pull the pillow away and clean himself up. He was still crying, but the sobs had stopped for now, and Percy hid his face in his hands, breathing audibly. 

“It’s gonna be okay,” Frank promised, praying to the gods that it would. _Whatever it was that got Percy like this, let it be fixable._ “What happened?”   
Percy sniffled, the noise low in pitch, like he was trying to be quiet. “Talked to Nico,” he murmured, sounding absolutely miserable. “He told me about camp.”

Frank tried to figure out why that would make Percy react like this, but then he realized. “Oh.”

“What about camp?” Jason said, still lost. 

“Camp Half-Blood,” Frank clarified. “They’ve… been through a lot, to hear him tell it.”

Percy shook his head, moving his hands to just hide the lower half of his face, exposing his watery eyes. “People died,” he said, voice breaking halfway through. “Silena. Michael Yew. Castor. Pollock. That’s both of the Dionysus kids, an empty cabin. And more. Nature spirits-- Juniper, my friend’s girlfriend. Her tree burned down. Satyrs. People I knew for years, people I _cared about_. Annabeth’s half-brother, Malcolm. My-- my--” he cut himself off, shaking too badly to continue, and fresh tears popped up. 

“Your what?” Jason asked. 

“My-- my brother,” Percy said, face falling. “Tyson. A cyclops. He-- he died defending Olympus. He never-- he wasn’t even a demigod, he never should’ve been there--” he broke off again, covering his face in his hands to weep. 

Frank gave Jason a desperate look. He didn’t know what to do. There was nothing that could be said to make things _okay_ ; people Percy loved had died, some of them years ago, and he was only finding out now. 

“I’m so sorry,” Frank said, but even as he said it he knew it wasn’t enough; it never could be. People could say the same thing over and over, and it would never make it right. 

“Nico told you this?” Jason questioned. 

“I asked,” Percy admitted, miserable. “I-- I thought-- I hoped-- And I just know, I _know_ I could’ve done something to make it better! I could’ve protected them-- I could’ve helped-- their burial shrouds were burned, and I was on a boat, fighting pointless battles and trying-- trying so hard to-- and it never mattered. And they died, and I wasn’t there."

“They died honorably in battle,” Jason said, voice firm. “They wouldn’t be angry with you.”

“They should be,” Percy whimpered. “Gods, the Fields of Punishment aren’t big enough for what I deserve.”

“Don’t talk like that,” Frank insisted. “You can’t take the blame for an entire war.”

“I wish I could,” Percy said, absolutely devastated. “I wish I could make it better. Any of it. I just… I can’t believe they’re gone.”

Frank and Jason stayed by Percy’s side for the rest of the night, talking to him and comforting him. The hours drew late, and their eyelids drew heavy, and at one point Frank thought _we’re not even talking anymore. I can close my eyes, just for a second._

He fell asleep instantly, laying on top of Percy’s plain white covers. And, as he was still in human form, he was assaulted with nightmares. The kept coming, one after another after another, and when he finally woke up he rolled over, feeling sick. On instinct, he contorted, turning into the small pug again to better hide away from the world, and buried his head under the pillow.

Beside him, there was some shifting, though that couldn't be right. Who else would be in his room?

Too late, Frank remembered. He sat up, hoping he could turn back into his human body before either of the other guys noticed, only to find himself face to face with a frowning Jason. "Percy," Jason said quizzically. "Why is there a dog in your bed?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter:  
> \- Frank ate breakfast with Nico  
> \- Nico and Jason's introduction (and Jason's subsequent coming out!!)  
> \- Archery / sword-fighting (Percy doesn't want to fight like a graecus anymore)  
> \- dinner / finding Percy  
> \- Percy grieving his dead friends  
> \- Frank waking up as a pug 
> 
> I hope you all aren't sick of crying in this book, but if so, I've got great news! There will be minimal tears from this point out. From now on, Percy will only be getting better :D
> 
> As per usual, please let me know what you think in the comments below! Also, fun fact, when I originally listed off the characters who died I accidentally said "will" instead of "Michael [Yew]", which would not have been ideal 😬 Thank God for editting.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some casual reminders about Hazel's backstory:  
> \- Hazel died in the 40s and was brought back by Nico  
> \- Hazel's mom was a fortune teller and sold their cursed gems/gold   
> \- Hazel hasn't had a friend since she was in like, 5th grade (Sammy, Leo's great grandpa) and probably isn't hopeful about her prospects at Camp Jupiter 
> 
> And with that said, lets get on with the chapter!

"Percy," Jason said quizzically. "Why is there a dog in your bed?"

Percy grunted and propped himself up on an elbow. He'd fallen asleep on top of the covers, his hair a mess, and when his eyes fell on Frank he blinked a few times, as if wondering if he was hallucinating. "Huh?"

"Is that your dog? Because as centurian--"

"I don't have a dog," Percy said, rubbing his eyes. "I don't know who's dog that is." 

All the while as they were talking, Frank was sitting right there, in the form of a pug, desperately clinging on to his current form because if there was anything worse than his friends finding him in the form of a pug, it was him only  _ starting out  _ in the form of a pug. What if he panicked and turned into a bird again, or something else? They would probably think that he was some sort of monster, and then Frank would be screwed. 

There was the other option, of just turning back into his human form now, but even as a dog Frank could feel his pulse race at the idea. It'd be humiliating, and while Frank acknowledged he had to tell them at some point, he didn't want it to be like this. 

So, pug form it was. 

Percy held his hand out for Frank and he sniffed it instinctively. He didn't put up a fight when Percy pet him-- oh, he definitely wasn't going to fight that, that felt  _ good-- _ and only whimpered a little when Percy scooped him into his arms. 

"We should probably find out who he belongs to," Jason was saying, scratching Frank's head in a way that felt really nice. "He has to belong to someone, right?"

"Nah, there's plenty of packs of wild pugs in this area," Percy said sarcastically. 

Jason glared. "That's not what I meant."

"Whatever. Hey, where's Frank?"

Jason looked around, as if just realizing his absence. "He probably went to bed in his room after we fell asleep."

"Ugh. Dude, I'm sorry about last night, I was--"

"Don't worry about it," Jason said, getting out of bed and stretching. Frank tried to stretch a little too, feeling stiff even in this form, but Percy held him tight to keep him from wiggling away. "Do you feel better this morning, at least?"

"A little," Percy said sadly. "It's just hard. Logically, I knew there'd be deaths, but hearing the names and knowing exactly who had died…" 

"It’s a lot," Jason agreed. "Especially… you know. Your brother." 

Percy nodded sadly, then stood far too quickly, giving Frank vertigo. "Yeah. I don't want to talk about it anymore-- how about you go to your room and get dressed, and then we can get breakfast? I'll see if Frank is still in his room, he can join us." 

The plan appeared fully-formed in Frank’s mind: he would wait for Percy to go to the bathroom and leave him alone, and then he’d turn back into a human and run to his room. He could pretend he went back there to sleep, and if they asked if he’d seen the pug, he could just play dumb. They’d be none the wiser, and life could continue as normal. 

His plan was quickly thwarted, though, when Jason piped up “I’ll hold him for a minute so you can go to the bathroom. That way he won’t pee on anything, or destroy your stuff.”

“Good idea,” Percy said, passing Frank over clumsily. Jason rocked him forcefully while they waited, Frank’s head bobbing with the motion. He needed to find a new way to escape and turn into a person before these stupid Big Three kids could give him brain damage with all their rocking and jerking. 

Percy came back into the room, dressed and cleaned up, and they passed him off. As Jason got ready, Percy carried pug-Frank over to his human room and knocked, though of course there was no answer. “Stupid early-risers,” Percy commented dryly, then took Frank outside, setting him on the ground. Frank blinked at him. 

“Go on,” Percy encouraged. “Look, we’re going to try to find your owner, but until then you’re stuck with us, and I’m not cleaning up any accidents.”

_ Oh, that’s disgusting,  _ Frank thought.  _ Percy, I know we’re friends and all, but I’m not going to pee in front of you, dog or no.  _

__ He sat down, giving Percy his best  _ are you kidding me?  _ face, and eventually Percy relented. “Jeez, fine. Just make sure you aim for Jason’s shoes when you can’t hold it in anymore.”

“What was that?” Jason said, stepping outside and shrugging a jacket on. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Percy said with a slight grin. “Frank wasn’t around, so it’s just us. You think anyone will notice us walking into the dining hall with a dog?”

“It can’t be the weirdest thing to ever happen,” Jason reasoned. “And besides, I asked everyone inside if it was their dog, and no dice. We still have to find it’s owner.”

“Man, I can’t believe someone’s been hiding a  _ dog _ in their room,” Percy said, scooping Frank up and carrying him under his arm. “That’s just mean.”

“Not to mention, against the rules,” Jason pointed out, and Percy rolled his eyes. 

“You and your rules.”

“I’m centurion, if I don’t follow the rules, who will?”

They went to the dining hall and sat down at their normal table. Frank tried to scamper away when they set him on the ground, but Percy grabbed him before he could, setting him on the couch beside him with a "Hey, not so fast!" 

Nico came over then, his sister Hazel followed behind, arms crossed and eyes downcast. Nico looked pensive when he asked "Percy? What's with the dog?" 

"He's my emotional support animal," Percy answered defensively. Frank could've facepalmed:  _ more than you'll ever know. _ "Don't worry about it." 

"Dogs aren't allowed at Camp Jupiter," Nico pointed out. 

"Well then don't be a snitch," Percy agreed, like it was the easiest thing in the world. 

Before Percy could cause anymore problems, Jason piped up. "Besides, he's not even our dog. He just showed up in Percy's room this morning, someone else must've been taking care of him. We're just bringing him around until we can find his rightful owner."

"Won't the rightful owner have to give him away then?" Hazel asked. "Unless you're planning on hiding him from Reyna." 

"We'll do what we need to," Percy said defensively.

" _ By which, _ " Jason interjected, "we mean, yes, of course we're not hiding him from Reyna. We just need to find his rightful owner first." 

Nico shook his head, sighing. "You guys are so weird." 

He and Hazel sat down across from them, and Nico gave Percy a sharp look, daring him to comment, but Percy methodically avoided his gaze. 

If Frank were a human, he'd be able to start up a conversation with Nico and his sister, maybe make things less awkward. But alas he was a pug, and the Big Three kids seemed intent on making things as awkward as possible and not even talking to each other. In a final desperate move, he tried to jump off the couch, but Jason caught him, using the winds to his advantage. "Hey buddy, where do you think you're going?"

"Don't you have a leash for him?" Nico questioned. At Percy's negative response, he rolled his eyes, and unclipped one of the chains from his jeans. "Here." The chain was clipped to itself around Frank's neck, acting as a makeshift collar and leash, and he sat down, suitably cowed. 

After that, they thankfully started talking and some of the awkward tension dissolved. Percy set two bowls down on the ground, one with water, the other with little bits of ground turkey sausage. Frank ate up, reminding himself that he was a dog, it wasn't embarrassing to eat with his face. Besides, transformations always took a lot of energy out of him; if he wanted to keep up this dog form for very long, and still be able to shift back into a human later, he needed to eat.

"So, what are you going to do with him for the rest of the day? I assume you have classes," Nico said, his voice bringing Frank back to the conversation at hand.

"I have stuff for the rest of the morning," Percy said. "Jason?"

Jason shook his head. "Even if I didn't have training, I have a meeting with Reyna right after. I can't take him." 

This was good, Frank realized. If neither of them could take him, they'd have no other choice than to lock him in one of their rooms, where he'd get the chance to transform back, hopefully in time to get to all of  _ his  _ training for the day. This was exactly what he needed to happen. 

Then the last person Frank expected spoke up. "I'll take him," Hazel offered, not sounding happy about it. "I have most of the day free. Gwen wants me to work on orienting myself, reading more of the books she gave me on the history of the legion. I can just take the dog with me." 

"That'd be great!" Jason said, and Frank huffed. He didn't know Hazel, and honestly, he wasn't sure he wanted to. It'd be better if she didn't interfere, and he could be left somewhere to change back in privacy. 

But alas, the decision was made, and he had no choice but to go along with it. So, once breakfast wrapped up, Frank's leash was passed over to Hazel, and he went with her. 

She and Nico walked back to the barracks together, while Percy and Jason went on to their classes. They were all in the Fifth Cohort, which housed it's legionnaires in the Fifth Barrack, but each barrack was separated further into halls. Each hall had around eight bedrooms, a communal bathroom, a kitchenette, and a living room. Percy, Jason and Frank were all in the same hall, but Nico and Hazel were in a different one, which meant that as Frank was carried through the halls, he was unfamiliar with where they were going. He was sure he'd be able to figure it out if he managed to escape, but still. 

They turned a corner, and at the sight of someone else Hazel quickly stuffed Frank under her jacket. He made a noise in surprise, but tried to stay quiet, though he knew that if he were in human form, his face would be bright red. His tiny body was pressed right up against Hazel's side, so close he could feel her breaths, hear her heartbeat. She was shockingly warm; Frank didn't make a habit of touching Nico, which was made easier by the fact that the son of Hades hated being touched, but the few times he had made contact Nico's skin had been frigid. Maybe the difference between their body heats was completely random, but Frank wondered if it had anything to do with the fact that Nico was a son of Hades and Hazel was a daughter of Pluto. Either way, it felt invasive, and Frank let out a breath of relief when Hazel held him normally again.

Eventually they got to Hazel's room, and Frank was set on her bed as she got ready, stuffing books into her backpack. Nico lingered by the doorway, watching her pack. “I have Latin in 15, but I can skip it if you want to hang out,” he offered. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Hazel said tightly. “I can take care of myself.”

“I know that, I just meant… maybe it’d be better if I stuck close by, just until you get acclimated.”

Hazel sighed. “I told you, I’m fine. I’m used to doing things by myself.”

“Yeah, but what if--”

Hazel stopped him in his tracks, putting a hand on his arm. “Please don’t patronize me.”

Nico sighed, and Hazel moved away, going back to packing her bag. “Okay, I’ll try not to. What’d you think of the guys, by the way? Percy wasn’t too bad, I don’t think.”

“He was fine,” she said through gritted teeth. “That doesn’t mean I’m going to forgive him so quickly. You heard what he called me.”

“He didn’t mean--”

Frank’s head spun as he tried to figure out what they were talking about. It seemed as though Hazel had a grudge against Percy because he called her a name, or something, but Frank couldn’t remember him doing anything like that at breakfast, and he was pretty sure they hadn’t interacted any other time-- besides the night Hazel arrives at camp, of course. Frank remembered her glaring at both him and Percy pretty intensely, though if he thought back to it, it seemed like most of her hatred was aimed toward Percy. Frank hadn’t thought much of it, since that had been right after Percy attacked her brother, but had something else happened?   
All at once, Frank remembered: Percy had called her a witch, and Gwen had had to hold her back to keep from attacking him. But why would she still be upset about that now? That was probably the nicest insult  _ Frank _ had ever heard Percy use. 

“It doesn’t matter,” Hazel dismissed. “I know his type. Percy’s a bully, that’s all.”

“I promise he’s  _ not, _ ” Nico pleaded, but Hazel wasn’t having it. Nico threw his hands in the air, giving up. “Gods, you’re even more stubborn than dad. Well fine, if you don’t want to make friends with Percy, at least give Jason and Frank a chance. Jason seems nice, at least, and Frank’s genuinely a good guy. He’s a little awkward at times, but he means well.”

Frank sniffed. He wasn’t sure whether to be happy at the praise, or annoyed at the backhandedness of it. Out of the two of them, Nico thought  _ he  _ was the awkward one? Rude.

(But then again, Frank  _ was  _ the one sitting on the bed in the form of a pug, just because he was too awkward to turn back in front of his friends, so Nico may have a point.)

“Maybe,” Hazel said doubtfully. “But if you’re just trying to make me friends so you can go back to the other camp, don’t bother. I told you, I do fine on my own.”

“There’s a difference between being independent and lonely,” Nico said. 

“Speak for yourself.”

“Hey, I have friends,” Nico reminded her sharply. “I have Annabeth and Will and Clovis. I have people who care about me, and I want the same for you. Maybe… I don’t know. Maybe if the Roman camp doesn’t work out for you, I can take you back with me to Camp Half-Blood.”

“No,” Hazel said, almost before he could finish. “I appreciate the offer,” she added, a little late, “But I am a Roman demigod. This is where I’m supposed to be.”

“Then prove it, make some friends.”

Hazel rolled her eyes. “Don’t you have a class to get to?”

“I’m waiting for you to walk with me. Are you ready yet?”   
Hazel slid her backpack over her shoulder, and scooped Frank up with the other arm. She was a lot more gentle about it than Percy, and Frank acknowledged that if there was one benefit to spending the rest of the day until he turned back with Hazel, it was that at least  _ she _ wouldn’t give him brain damage. 

“Let’s go.”

***

When there weren’t any other people around to see, Hazel carried Frank outside of her jacket, which he was thankful for. It was bad enough that he was listening in on private conversations, but when he was pressed to Hazel’s side like that, Frank felt like the worst kind of creep. 

Frank laid his head on Hazel’s arm as they walked, watching the grass so far below him. It turned yellow and died wherever Nico walked, but it didn’t seem to do the same for Hazel. 

Suddenly, something appeared in the path, and Nico nearly tripped on it. “Nico,” Hazel warned, and Nico just barely managed to dodge it with his foot. Hazel squatted, grabbing the object and slipping it into her pocket in a flash of red. 

“What was that one?” Nico asked. 

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Hazel responded, sounding desperate, and they moved on. 

Eventually, they parted ways, with Nico going to his Latin class (could Greek demigods even speak Latin?) and Hazel continuing on. She kept walking until she was on one of the hills on the edge of camp, and sat down against a large oak tree, setting Frank on the ground next to her. She frowned at him. “Hey, little guy. Do you even have a name?”

She looked at him so imploringly Frank wanted to answer, but he knew he couldn’t in this form. He whimpered a little, hoping she understood. 

“No?” she assumed. “Alright then, I’ll just call you little buddy right now. You’re so small, you know that, right? What must it be like to see things from your point of view?”

_ Everything is really big and really tall, _ Frank thought.  _ And also, I feel like a pervert. Why is my life like this? _

__ Hazel pet him, and he closed his eyes. “Well, I’m just going to do some reading,” she narrated. “Do you want to sit in my lap?”

Frank climbed up, hoping he wouldn’t be damned to the Fields of Punishment for this lie. He laid with his head propped on one of her knees, relaxing as she continued to pet him even as she took out her book. 

They stayed like that for a while, with Hazel reading silently, and Frank relaxing on her knee. Sometimes she pet him, and he closed his eyes in pleasure, and other times her full attention was on her book. He preferred the petting, but he didn’t mind either way. Something about being a dog made him way more relaxed. Normally, if he was told to lay down and do nothing for hours, he’d balk, but as a pug, he was happy to relax and let his thoughts drift. Frank thought back to some of the demigods he knew with intense ADHD, and wondered if they too would chill out as a dog. Not that it mattered, since he couldn’t share his powers, but it was an interesting thought. 

Frank didn’t have ADHD, a rarity for a demigod, even more so for a child of Mars. He thought that might be why he was so good at using a bow-- a skill that took patience and a steady hand-- and why he was so  _ bad _ at close-range combat. He thought back to Nico, who was constantly fidgeting with his clothes, especially his skull ring, and wondered if Hazel was ADHD too. He turned his head, watching her fingers toy with the corner of the page, as if unable to keep still. Yeah, she probably was.

He looked up at her face, and was surprised to see her eyes fluttering, as if she was struggling to stay awake. He watched as she apparently gave up the fight, eyes closing and body relaxing against the back of the tree. 

Huh. Maybe the book was really just that boring, or maybe she hadn’t slept well the night before. 

Frank nudged her hand gently, and after a moment she woke up, looking startled. She calmed down when she saw it was just him, though, and pet him appreciatively, going back to her book. 

He rested his head back on her knee, enjoying the pets. A ladybug flew by and landed on her shoe, and Frank watched it, wondering if he could turn into one. If he wanted to evade the leash, his best bet would be turning into something small that could slip the chain, and fly away undetected. He could probably wander behind the tree to do it without Hazel ever seeing, but… well, he felt bad about it. Obviously, Hazel was having a hard time fitting in at camp and making friends, and if she lost the dog Percy and Jason had entrusted her with, it’d only do harm. Frank would just have to wait until he got back to Percy and Jason, and transform then. 

He was so distracted it took him a few moments to recognize the soft noise from behind him. He turned around, and found that Hazel had fallen back asleep, and was snoring softly. He considered waking her up again, but, well-- it seemed like she needed the rest, and he had nowhere better to be. He laid back down, letting her nap. He’d wake her up if someone else came around. 

No one showed up, and Hazel woke fifteen minutes later when her book fell off her knee. She stirred, rubbing her neck, and looked a little peeved. “Ugh, again? Maybe it’s time I took a break from reading.”

She packed up, and let Frank stay on the ground as they walked, holding on to the other end of his leash. They wandered around camp in a way that seemed aimless, as Hazel tried to navigate, figuring out where everything was. Everything seemed to be deserted, which meant that it was probably lunchtime. Hazel wandered into the armory, looking around and poking at weapons, but she didn’t pick anything up, so Frank wasn’t too concerned. He wondered if Nico had taught her the basics of combat while in the Underworld; he hoped so, otherwise she’d be pretty behind. She didn’t carry a weapon though, so he couldn’t be sure. 

They explored the outside of the arena next, and Hazel went up to one of the side doors, which was always locked. Frank expected her to try the handle and move on, but as soon as she touched it the lock clicked, and she pushed the door open. 

Frank gave her a concerned look, but she marched forward, as if on a mission, and he had no choice but to follow. They explored some of the tunnels around the arena for a while, eventually passing through the corridor where the monsters were housed. On occasion, Camp Jupiter held staged monster fights, where they’d release captured monsters into the arena for training. It was a big spectacle, one that some of the demigods took issue with as an animal rights violation. Despite that, the fights continued, which meant they had to always have a couple monsters on standby, waiting in the underbelly of the arena. 

Hazel stopped by one of the doors, pressing her hand against its steel frame as she tried to peer inside. “What--”

Frank tried to pull her away, but his tugging did nothing. From inside the cell, a monster roared, and Hazel backed off quickly. “Yeah, we’d better keep moving.”

Frank felt much better after they left that hallway, but still, he prodded her into walking faster, directing them out of the tunnels and into the main arena. He exhaled once they got back into the fresh air, the arena lit brightly by the sun directly overhead. 

Hazel knelt and took Frank’s leash off, tucking the chain away in her pocket. “Go on, run around,” she said. “I feel bad for keeping you on that all day.”

_ I’m a pug, I can’t run _ , Frank thought, but he trotted away regardless. There were some interesting smells in the arena, and he took advantage of his freedom, sniffing the ground and side walls. He needed to go to the bathroom at some point, as he’d been watched too closely to go yet that day, and he kept walking along the walls, trying to get out of Hazel’s eyesight without her noticing. 

Just then, he heard a noise, and turned, looking for it. Hazel apparently hadn’t noticed it yet, her human ears not as powerful as his dog ones, but he pattered over to her, trying to see what it was. 

There was a low rumbling coming from the other side of the arena, then a banging. Hazel looked up right as a catoblepas broke down one of the side doors and charged out, going straight toward her. Catoblepases were huge buffalo-looking creatures, with shaggy manes, glowing red eyes, and poisonous breath. Frank had seen many fights with them before, and understood how to kill them, but when he looked up at Hazel, she seemed paralyzed. 

_ SHIT, _ he thought,  _ she doesn’t know how to fight!  _

__ He looked around wildly, hoping that someone would show up to help her. Most legionnaires at camp could help her, as long as they had their weapons handy, but none appeared. She was on her own. 

Except for Frank. 

_ Well, fuck,  _ Frank thought, and charged forward. Hazel screamed for him, probably thinking his little pug-self was about to be trampled, but he ignored her, leaping forward with all his might. Mid jump, he imagined the first thing that came to mind that could help him defeat this creature, the biggest animal he’d ever shifted into. Afterward, he had sworn  _ never again _ , but well, desperate times called for desperate measures. He leapt off the ground, and landed 500 times bigger, in the burly form of a massive grizzly. He roared, and the catoblepas slowed down, trying to dodge him, but Frank rose to his hind legs and slashed at the beast with his massive claws. He hadn’t been sure if they would do anything, since monsters were supposed to only be killed by magical weapons, but his claws tore into its hide like it was nothing. He roared again, and dropped to the ground to avoid the beast’s poisonous breath, then lunged, landing on its back and biting into its hide. He was surprised at the power behind his form, but he liked it. Even better, he could feel how to use it, and with one big push, he flipped over the beast’s back, still gripping onto it with his teeth. The beast mooed furiously as it was thrown head over heel, landing on it’s side, and Frank closed in. Somehow, the monster managed to rise to its feet and launch itself at Frank, but he was ready, and slashed with his claws. The catoblepas exploded into dust, and Frank shifted back to human, panting as he was showered with golden dust. Note to self: bigger monsters means more dust. He should get a gas mask or something; could heroes develop black lung disease from too much monster dust inhalation?

He turned, and saw that Hazel was staring at him, awe-struck. Yeah, he might have bigger things to worry about. 

He walked over, sticking his hand out to shake. “Hi,” he introduced. “I’m Frank Zhang. We, uh, met the other day.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case it was unclear: Yes, Frank did just turn into a bear, slay a monster, and turn back into a human and turn around in a shower of glitter. In other words, yes, Frank did just have a magic girl transformation. 
> 
> Other things that happened in this chapter:  
> \- Frank's a pug!!!  
> \- Jason and Percy don't know how to hold dogs   
> \- Hazel took Frank for the day to watch him  
> \- Nico wears chains clipped to his pants  
> \- Frank listened in while Hazel and Nico talked about how she needs to make friends so he can leave and go back to Camp Half Blood  
> \- Nico told her to be friends with Frank and Jason   
> \- Hazel took Frank to sit and read under a tree and kept falling asleep  
> \- Hazel wandered around places she wasn't supposed to be (whoop whoop magic tunnel powers) and almost got trampled by a Buffalo monster  
> \- Frank's magic girl transformation!! (Which means one person now officially knows about his powers!!)
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I think it was a nice break from the intensity of the last few chapters, while also introducing in Hazel some more, and foreshadowing lots of stuff for the future ;) Please let me know your thoughts in the comments! What did you think about Frank's misadventures as a pug? What are your theories about Hazel? 
> 
> Have a wonderful day!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy the slight glimpse into Hazel's POV :D

**Hazel**

  
Hazel was fed up.

Three months ago, she’d been dead. The Fields of Asphodel had been her home for longer than any human place, but still, she barely remembered them, all of the time there blurring together meaninglessly. She appreciated Nico for using his father’s favor to save her, and taking the time to train her, but it wasn’t an easy adjustment to make. She’d been dead for decades, and the world had moved on without her. 

One of Hazel’s first days back in the mortal world had been the day Nico took her to camp, promising that she’d be accepted with open arms. Instead, within seconds of their arrival that  _ jerk _ Percy Jackson had his sword to Nico’s neck, and Hazel had a horrible moment where she wondered if  _ she’d  _ have to be the one to retrieve Nico from the Underworld this time. She doubted they could get away with it twice. 

Thankfully, Nico had held his own, and the night ended with no casualties. Hazel had a horrific moment of doubt where she wondered if Nico should have bothered saving her at all; could she handle this strange new place? But Gwen and Reyna seemed to be alright, anyways, even if Percy was an absolute disaster, so Hazel kept her doubts to herself and decided to give the camp a chance. She spent the next few days awkwardly stumbling through mortal life, and trying to draw as little attention to herself as possible. Nico tried to help with the transition, but there was only so much he could do. He seemed to think that all she needed to be accepted among the ranks of these demigods was to make a few friends, but Hazel knew better. She wasn’t really the type for friends-- she’d spent the final years of her life with everyone thinking she was cursed, which wasn’t untrue. That didn’t exactly do great things for her popularity. 

So, let’s see. She was recently dead. She didn’t fit in with the Romans-- she hadn’t even gone to the Wolf House, which was apparently a big deal, though she didn’t know why. She already knew she wouldn’t make any friends. Then there was the problem with her sleeping... 

All in all, things were pretty ridiculous, and Hazel was getting more and more fed up by the day. And then, just because the gods weren’t done laughing at her expense, a giant monster charged her, and the cute little pug she’d been toting around all day turned into a human. She’d seen him before, or course; he was Frank, the guy on Percy’s side in the earlier fight against Nico. From pug form, he turned into a full-grown bear, slayed the monster in what had to be the most intense and skilled fight Hazel had ever seen, and then turned back into human, the golden dust of the monster settling around him like he’d just walked into a swirl of glitter. 

“Hi,” he introduced, holding out his-- now human-- hand. “I’m Frank Zhang. We, uh, met the other day.”

And Hazel-- well, Hazel was ready to give her dear old dad a call and ask him to take her back.  _ Hi, Pluto? It’s your daughter, the one you recently resurrected, breaking basically every law of the Underworld ever? Yeah, that one. I want to go back to the Fields of Asphodel.  _

But that wasn’t actually an option.

Frank was still looking at her, hand outstretched. All of her thoughts had happened over the course of a few seconds, and now they drifted back to the topic at hand-- namely, the fact that the pug she’d been carrying around all day was actually a human boy. Quickly, she went through her memories, trying to see if he’d witnessed anything indecent. Had she said anything unseemly to Nico, on their walk earlier? Had she done anything embarrassing? Oh gods-- she’d put the pug on her bed this morning, was that when she changed her shirt, or had she changed it before breakfast?

_ It was before breakfast,  _ she reminded herself, which helped, but didn’t calm her panic. 

_ He must have seen something. He must have heard something. What kind of freak turns into a dog to spy on someone?  _

Frank’s smile was beginning to falter, still holding his hand up to shake. Hazel gave it one last look, then turned around, marching away. Her heart was pounding in her ears-- she had already seen what he was capable of-- but she couldn’t help it. She had to get away from this place, this arena of monsters and magic. This didn’t make  _ sense _ .

What had he _ seen? _

She heard jogging behind her and only sped up.  _ Why won’t you leave me alone? _

“Hazel!” he called, and she cringed, wishing he didn’t know her name. He touched her on the shoulder and she whirled around, ready to defend herself if needed. 

Frank gaped, looking around, and too late Hazel realized she’d been too lenient with her powers: the entire arena had trembled as if from an earthquake. She needed to try harder to keep her powers in check. 

“Hazel,” Frank said, eyes wide. “I’m-- so sorry. I know I must look like a creep--”

“Leave me alone,” she demanded, and he winced. 

“I will, I promise,” he swore, cheeks red. There was still golden dust in his black hair. “Can I just-- can I explain, please? I know it looks bad--”

She thought back to the transformation of dog to bear, the rippling of muscles, the vicious snap of his jaw. ‘Bad’ wasn’t the most accurate word to use, though Hazel didn’t know what else to call it. Terrifying? Horrific? 

Impressive?

_ He’s a shapeshifter, _ she realized, the word finally coming to her. He probably had trained in it for years, and everyone at camp knew-- everyone except her, of course, because she was new. She hadn’t known better. Jason and Percy probably set her up, purposefully asking her to watch their ‘dog’, knowing she’d make a fool of herself. 

“I can’t believe you,” she snapped, her fury feeling strangely empty. When was she going to get a  _ break? _ “You think this is funny?”

“No!” Frank insisted, shocked. “No, I just-- no one knows I can shapeshift! Jason and Percy found me in dog form this morning and I had to keep up the act so they wouldn’t find out. I swear, I wasn’t trying to… prank you, or invade your privacy or anything. Gods, I shouldn’t have even tried to pretend, I should have just told the truth from the start. I’m-- I’m so sorry, really.”

Hazel blinked, surprised. “The others don’t know?”

“No,” Frank insisted. “I only figured it out for myself recently. I’ve been trying to get used to it before I told anyone else. You were never supposed to find out, I just-- you were weaponless. I couldn’t have let that monster hurt you.”

_ Weaponless, _ Hazel thought. She was far from that, though if she was honest, she’d had no plan when the monster charged her. She’d just froze. If Frank hadn’t stepped in--

“Why would you keep something like this a secret?” She wondered aloud. Frank looked bashful. 

“It’s weird,” he said, and when Hazel gave him a look, said “It is, don’t tell me it’s not.”

“Yeah, whatever,” she snapped, turning away to leave.  _ You don’t even know what weird is.  _ Frank put his hand on her shoulder again, and once again she spun around. “Don’t touch me!”

“Sorry!” he said, jerking his hands back. “Sorry, I just-- you’re a child of Pluto, I forgot. No touching.”

_ That has nothing to do with it, _ she wanted to say, but held herself back. “Please just leave me alone.”

“I will,” he said. “I promise I will. I just…”

She waited, but he didn’t seem to want to finish his sentence. “You just what?”

“I just… wanted to say sorry. I really didn’t mean to be a creep. You seem like a really cool person; I don’t want you walking away from here thinking I’m a pervert or something.”

_ What? _

“So, just to clarify,” Hazel said, trying to get her ducks in a row, “You’re claiming that you’re  _ not  _ a pervert. Because… you had to stay a dog so Percy and Jason wouldn’t find out you can shapeshift?”

“ _ Yes, _ ” Frank said emphatically, sounding relieved. 

“Why were you even a dog to begin with? How did they find you?”

“It’s actually really simple,” Frank said, jumping on the chance to explain himself. “You see, I had nightmares, which I sometimes turn into a dog to avoid. But I forgot that I was in bed with Jason and Percy, and by the time they saw me--”

Hazel huffed, exasperated.  _ Of course.  _

Frank gave her a confused look. “What?”

“Is everyone in the modern world gay?” She blurted out before she could think better. “First Nico, then Gwen, and now you?”

“ _What?_ ” Frank blurted out. “Why would-- Hazel, I’m straight. Wait, Nico’s gay?”  
Hazel raised her eyebrows judgmentally. “Have you _seen_ him? Of course he’s gay.”

Frank seemed to need a moment to process this, but finally he nodded, moving on. “Okay, actually that does make sense. But-- the point is, I’m not gay. The three of us stayed up late talking last night and accidentally fell asleep, that’s all. I’m totally into girls.”

“Congrats,” Hazel said dryly. She tugged her jacket a little closer to her body. 

“Shit, now I’ve made it awkward,” he said, and Hazel wrinkled her nose at the profanity. “Can we start over? Please?”

_ How about we end the conversation instead? _ She wanted to say, but held herself back. “Fine.”

“Great,” Frank said, sounding genuinely relieved. “Hi. I’m Frank Zhang.”

_ I know, this is my third time being introduced to you, _ Hazel thought, but didn’t say anything. “Hazel Levesque.” Frank didn’t offer his hand to shake this time, probably thinking she didn’t want to be touched. She appreciated the gesture, but didn’t actually have a problem with touch like he seemed to think, just didn’t like being grabbed. She held out her hand in a gesture of goodwill, and he clasped it with one of his much larger hands. She found herself surprised at his grip, which she’d expected to be fierce, harsh, like he hadn’t completely turned back from being a bear. Instead, his grip was surprisingly gentle, hands soft but for a few callouses. 

She pulled her hand back when the embrace had been going on for too long. “I won’t tell the others about your secret,” she said, hoping that would satisfy him. 

“Thank you,” he said seriously. “I really appreciate it. I’ll tell them soon, I just-- it has to be me, you know?”  
Hazel shrugged, because what did she know about friendship? But he didn’t seem to notice. 

***

Hazel didn’t see Frank Zhang again until dinner that evening. She and Nico came late, and she tried to steer them toward an empty table, but before she could he noticed the others still eating, and insisted they join. Hazel could feel herself flush, but she didn’t object. 

They joined the others at the circle of couches, and somehow Hazel found herself sitting directly across from Frank. She looked at him, trying to imagine all the different forms she’d already seen him take that day, but when he raised his head she quickly looked away. 

“Hey guys!” Jason greeted cheerily. “Oh Hazel, I almost forgot about Snuffles! Where is he?”

“Excuse me,  _ Snuffles? _ ” Frank objected, clearly horrified. 

Jason didn’t notice. “Oh yeah Frank, you weren’t here for this! A random dog got into Percy’s room this morning, we decided to name him Snuffles. Hazel was taking care of him, where’d--”

“Oh, I know about the dog,” Frank said, then must have realized how suspicious he sounded, and corrected himself. “I mean, I saw Hazel earlier today-- with the dog. I helped her with it. But Reyna saw us, and she made us bring the dog to a shelter. Sorry.”

“Oh,” Jason said, face falling. 

Percy elbowed him, smiling a little dryly. “Hey, you’re the one who kept reminding us that dogs are against the rules. Aren’t you supposed to be rejoicing?”

“Maybe,” Jason said glumly. “I just got attached to the little guy. He was so sweet, and his little nose--”

“Anyways,” Frank said, seeming desperate to change the subject. “Um, how was training?”

That changed the topic of conversation pretty quickly, which Frank seemed relieved about. Hazel watched him, a little confused by his nervous habits, how he tried to move the conversation as far away from talking about himself as possible. It was strange, especially for such a powerful demigod. 

Then again, this seemed to be the table for powerful demigods. There was Nico, who was in a league of his own, not to mention Percy and Jason, who were both sons of the Big Three. Then there was her, with her powers she’d already seen too much of, thanks, and Frank, with his incredible shape-shifting. Yeah, having all five of them eat together was like storing all your atomic bombs in one place; if one of them went off, all of them would, and then Camp Jupiter would be wiped off the map. 

_ Pleasant,  _ Hazel thought. She’d have to do her best to keep that from happening; she’d destroyed enough in her first life, thanks. She wouldn’t want to set any new records in her second go-around.

  
***  
  


**Frank**

Frank felt like even more of a klutz than usual, which was saying something.

_ At least she didn't tell anyone,  _ he thought after dinner.  _ At least she doesn't hate me.  _

Well, that last part might not be true. If anything, Hazel's decision to respect his privacy seemed to be more so he'd leave her alone than anything else. 

At least they'd talked, he thought.  _ At least she agreed to try to start over. _

Gods, Frank hoped she didn't hate him. 

She had hated him at first, of that he was sure. When in the arena, she'd glared him down with those golden eyes so intensely he thought he might burst into flames. When he'd touched her shoulder and startled her, the entire floor shook. 

_ Another child of the Big Three,  _ he thought, awed.

When Percy had arrived at camp, there'd been a lot of noise made about it. They didn't get new campers every day, and oftentimes they were lesser-powered legacies, children or grandchildren of demigods. It was a big enough deal to get a child of an Olympian as a new camper, much less a child of Neptune. It was the same when Jason arrived some months later, if not an even bigger deal because Jason was actually willing to use his powers, controlling the winds and summoning lightning. People had always had a lot to say about them, theorizing about their powers, gawking at them from across the halls, guessing about how they’d excel in the legion. Few people were surprised when Jason rose to the rank of Centurion after so little training. Children of the Big Three had a reputation for power, capability, leadership. They tended not to be underestimated.

With Hazel, it was different. People talked about her more than other new recruits, sure, but it was rarely as complementary as some of the other children of the Big Three. They didn’t like that she was a child of Pluto, and saw it as a dark smudge on her record, as opposed to seeing it as the very thing that would make her one of the most powerful demigods at camp. She  _ was,  _ though. She'd barely even done anything, and already Frank knew she was at least as powerful as the other Big Three kids--if not more. 

He tried to put together a list of the powers he already knew she possessed:  _ Navigating underground tunnels. Causing the earth to shake. Unlocking underground doors, which happened twice, when she let herself into the arena and when she accidentally unlocked the catoblepas's cell. The trick she'd pulled with Percy's sword.  _

Frank understood how the others all tied together-- underground magic made sense for a daughter of Pluto-- but he didn't know where the sword magic played into. 

Not that he would ask. Hazel was scary, and those golden eyes that seemed to stare straight into his soul didn’t help.

He remembered how she'd looked sitting against the tree, eyes closed in accidental sleep, and sighed. The only time she’d relaxed around him all day was when he was a dog. Every other time she’d looked at him like-- well, he didn’t know. She looked at him like no one else ever had, like he was a threat she was considering facing. The soul-staring eyes didn’t help with the feeling he had like he’d already laid himself vulnerable to her, showing her his powers, confessing the truth about what he’d spent the day doing, and apologizing profusely for making her uncomfortable. In the span of 15 minutes, he’d basically said  _ here’s every truth I could possibly give you, I’m so sorry, please don’t hate me.  _

It was a lot to take in, and it left Frank feeling a little tender. For the rest of the day, his thoughts kept shifting to her, wondering what she thought of him, and if this was a friendship he could ever hope having. He didn’t know. 

At dinner, he’d been jumpy, both trying to avoid Percy and Jason asking too many questions about the dog situation, and trying not to make a fool of himself in front of the new girl. He didn’t know if he succeeded. 

When they all rose to leave the dining hall, Frank was reminded once again of how  _ big  _ he was. He was taller than all his friends, and Hazel was shorter than all of them. Frank didn’t have any realm problems with his size, especially since he started training more intensely at camp, and he grew into his size more, but sometimes he still felt a little self-conscious. He was a big guy, but he didn’t necessarily see himself as one. Sometimes he just felt a little uncomfortable in his own skin-- which, when he thought about, might actually have less to do with his own insecurities, and more to do with his family lineage of shape-shifters. Maybe he wasn’t  _ supposed  _ to feel perfectly comfortable in his human skin. 

Frank had already decided that this night deserved a few hours in bird-from, flying free around camp, when Jason bumped up against him, grinning. “Are you excited for War Games tonight?”

“Shit,” he said, a little louder than he meant. “Is it Thursday already?”

“Yeah, we had our strategy meeting earlier. Where were you?”

“I guess I forgot,” Frank said, mentally reminding himself to look into everything else he missed while hiding out as a pug. “Fill me in as we walk?”

***

Percy still wasn’t allowed to go to the War Games, so Frank checked in with him before they left. “I’ll be fine,” Percy reassured, jaw tense. “Don’t worry about me.”

In all of busyness of the day, Frank had completely forgotten to check in with Percy about his conversation the night before. He knew that he and Nico had talked, and that both demigods had spilled their side of the story, with Percy telling about his captivity, and Nico telling about the war at the Greek camp-- and the deaths. 

For someone who only found out about the deaths of a bunch of friends  _ last night _ , Percy seemed to be doing pretty well. Which probably meant he wasn’t doing well at all. 

Frank leaned against the door, willing to be a little late to the war games if necessary. “Did you talk to Nico at all today?”

“No,” Percy said glumly. “He kept getting in my face though, like how he insisted on eating with us at dinner. He’s completely unaffected by my story of being on the ship; it’s like he doesn’t even care.”

“I’m sure he cares,” Frank said. “Maybe he’s just taking a minute to process.”

“Maybe,” Percy said, sounding doubtful. “Or maybe he just doesn’t care.”

“He cares,” Frank assured, though he didn’t actually know if it was true. “I’ll talk to him, alright? Try to see what’s going on.”

Percy rubbed his face, seeming exhausted. “Thanks. Now, go on, I’ll be fine.”

“Okay, I’ll swing by later if you’re still awake,” Frank promised, and Percy nodded. 

***

The urge to turn into a bird was only growing. Frank needed to deal with everything that’d gone down that day, and this was the best coping mechanism he’d found in a while. But he couldn’t do that if he was going to go to war games, unless, well…

Was he ready for people to know? 

Hazel already knew, and that hadn’t gone absolutely horribly. Frank wasn’t ashamed of his powers, and she hadn’t acted like he was a freak for having them. If anything, he felt somewhat vulnerable that a relative stranger knew such an intimate secret about him. But, if she wasn’t the only one who knew… 

He wasn’t ready for the entire camp to know, of that he was sure. But maybe just one more person…

“Hey Jason?” Frank asked, as they walked side by side to the Field of Mars. “I might have an idea for how we can win tonight’s game.”

Jason piped up, looking intrigued. “I’m all ears.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I think we can all agree that this chapter was a LOT. Please feel free to ask questions and let me know if there's anything you were confused on!
> 
> In this chapter:  
> \- Hazel's POV!!  
> \- Some insight into Hazel's past   
> \- Hazel and Frank's conversation post-monster  
> \- Dinner conversation (and telling P & J the lie about where the pug went)  
> \- Frank processing the events of the day and his thoughts about Hazel / the fact that someone now knows about his powers  
> \- Talking to Percy  
> \- Getting ready for War Games
> 
> In the interest of keeping these end notes from getting too long, I will be posting a comment explaining more details of Hazel's past and the canon divergence within her character, so feel free to check that out! I especially recommend looking at it if you feel weird about her character right now or are worried that she's going to be completely OOC-- everything will be explained there. 
> 
> ADDITIONALLY, I hear your cries to see the conversation between Percy and Nico, and will not leave them unanswered!! The past two chapters we have been looking more at Frank's situation with his powers, but we will be getting back to that plot shortly!
> 
> Please comment and let me know what you think, and I hope you have a great day!


	11. Chapter 11

Frank climbed to the top of the tower, the wind threatening his balance. Logically, he knew he should be able to shift forms if he ever were to slip and fall, but that wasn’t enough to erase the very human fear of falling. 

He got to the top of the tower, which was actually one of the supporting structures of this week’s fortress, and clung on to the stones as he peered down at the fighting below him. The game had started only minutes before, but already there were countless little battles as the first wave of the attack commenced. Normally, the Fifth Cohort would be thrown out in the first wave, so they could get defeated quickly and get out of the way, but lately that had shifted. Jason had worked hard to make things fairer for the cohort, and it showed. 

Frank wished he’d been named Centurion, but he could appreciate Jason was good at the job. Already, he’d done great things for the Cohort, and their reputation improved by the week. 

Frank watched as the second wave of fighting started below him, and double-checked that his bow was secure over his shoulders. He’d be shapeshifting with it on this time, which he’d never tried before, but he was sure it’d work. When he shifted, his clothes and anything else on his human form automatically melted into the body of the creature he was shifting into, which saved him the indignity of losing his clothes every time he changed form. 

As they walked to the Field of Mars, he’d told Jason the truth about his plan, and suggested how he might be able to use his powers for the fight. Jason had been surprised, but he clearly tried to hide it. “O-kay?” He’d said. “You’re-- wait, you’re going to turn  _ into  _ a bird? Is that like, a metaphor, or an attack formation I don’t know about?”

Frank had explained, no, he was being serious. He  _ didn’t  _ tell Jason that he was the pug from earlier-- hopefully, his friends would never connect the dots. 

Jason still seemed unsure, but he helped Frank develop a plan. “I’ll tell the others about the adjusted strategy,” he’d said. 

“Sounds good,” Frank said. “Um, but maybe don’t tell them about the shifting thing? I’d kind of like to keep it on the down-low.”

Jason agreed, and then they arrived.

Now, Frank watched, waiting for the signal. He was holding on to the top of the tower carefully, his body relaxed but ready to move when he was ready. It was an interesting feeling, being aware of the bulkiness of his human body but also feeling the wind rushing around him, making him feel impossibly light. 

_ I could fall, _ he reminded himself. He imagined how it would go, and felt a surge of adrenaline. 

_ What if I can’t do it?  _ He thought. But alternatively-- what if he could. 

The sound of a war horn bellowing made Frank want to jerk, but he held his position. That was the signal, and without letting himself struggle with it anymore, he threw himself backward, plummeting down to the ground headfirst. He squeezed his eyes shut, simultaneously wanting to keep feeling this incredible rush and fearing lingering in it for too long. 

He imagined the beautiful golden hawks that used to hang around in the woods by his family home and felt himself shift. His arms, tucked to his side, turned to wings, every part of his body shifting and sliding together like puzzle pieces, feathers sprouting up like they’d always been there. He opened his eyes and spread his wings, and soared upwards, still a few meters above the ground. He circled upward around the tower, darting to try and stay out of the eyesight of the giant eagles above. 

No one gave him any notice as he soared across the field to the opposite fortress, careening hard to the side and tucking his wings in to get through the window. The room he was in was empty, allowing him to tuck and roll back into human, coming up on his feet. He drew his bow and notched an arrow, creeping around the corner. 

The flag-- a banner, really-- was right there, along with an assortment of guards. They hadn’t seen Frank yet, and he hid back behind the corner, changing out the arrow he currently had notched for one with a razor blade point. 

Just then, there was a war cry, and a bundle of legionnaires from Frank’s team charged, engaging the guards in combat. Frank turned the corner, pulling back the bowstring and letting it go when he had a clear shot. The arrow zipped across the cord holding the banner up, slitting it, and the banner dropped heavily to the ground. Frank gave it another minute, waiting until the guards were all thoroughly distracted, then leaped, turning into a hawk once again and diving for the banner. He dodged two legionnaires in a fight, and caused another to go “Oh  _ shit!”  _ when he nearly flew into his face, but he managed to duck, scooping the banner up with his claws and hurtling out the window. He swooped around the building, going faster than ever before, his little bird-heart pounding against his chest. He dropped the banner-- right into Jason’s waiting hand-- and swirled upward. Jason, surrounded by whatever ally was close enough to help, sprinted to the centerline, chased by a half dozen angry legionnaires. 

Frank landed on the top of the enemy’s tower this time, turning human and drawing his bow to pick off Jason’s attackers. Within a minute, the allies crossed the centerline, and horns were blown to signify the end of the game. 

Frank turned into a hawk again for just long enough to get to the ground behind the fortress, then jogged over to join the celebration. The entire Fifth Cohort surrounded Jason, chanting and yelling in utter blood-borne delight, and Frank tried to weave in between them. When Jason saw his, his eyes lit up, and he helped drag him through the crowd to the center. “Zhang! Zhang! Zhang!” He chanted, raising Frank’s hand into the air, and after a moment the rest of the cohort joined in. Frank felt his face go bright red, but couldn’t help breaking out into a grin. The others didn’t even know what his role had been in their success, but they were happy to chant along blindly, cheering for him so loudly Frank could almost  _ feel _ the noise. 

*** 

The legion dismantled, all going their separate ways, but a small group of people, Jason and Frank included, split apart to celebrate their success. Frank was still so high on the win he didn’t notice when the guy in front of him stopped walking and nearly ran into him. “Shit, sorry.”

The crowd parted, and Frank realized why. Reyna was marching straight for them. Someone shoved Frank forward and he stumbled, but caught himself. 

“Legionnaire Zhang,” she greeted, voice loud and regal.

“Reyna,” he greeted, then stumbled to correct himself. “Um- Praeter.”

She ignored the misstep. “Congratulations on the victory. I wish to speak with you in my office immediately to discuss your current training schedule.”

Frank’s heart leaped, but he tried to calm down. It wasn’t uncommon for Reyna to request a personal meeting with a legionnaire after the War Games, usually to make notes about what training they should focus on to better hone their skills, whether that meant joining more advanced groups, or going down a level. Frank didn’t know what she’d have to say to him, but he glanced around, wishing they could have their talk later, after the celebration. 

“Um, yes praetor,” he said, trying to find a way to verbalize this without being disrespectful. “Do you think--”

“Praetor,” Jason interrupted, somehow injecting respect into his tone. “Would it be possible for Frank to meet with you after we celebrate his victory? It won’t be long, and as his immediate officer, I think Frank has earned it.”

Everyone held their breath as Reyna considered, but eventually she nodded. “Very well. Frank, don’t stay out celebrating too late; I have a schedule to keep, after all.”

Frank agreed vehemently, and their little group cheered again and kept going. 

***

They ended up getting ice cream to celebrate, which felt strangely childish, but was also really good. It was nice to celebrate with people in his cohort, and just hang out with them in general. He was careful not to stay out too late, though, and before long he found himself in Reyna’s office in the  _ Principia.  _

__ “Come in,” Reyna said, and he let himself in, closing the door behind him. 

“Hey,” Frank said, and shyly offered her the cup of ice cream he’d carried over. 

Reyna raised her eyebrows. “For me?”

“It’s from Jason,” Frank said, and she nodded, like this was expected. 

“Give him my thanks,” she said, and set the ice cream on her desk to eat later. She leaned backward, crossing her arms. “So. It seems as though you have something to tell me.”

Frank felt his face grow warm. “Uh, what do you mean?”

Her gaze was unwavering. What was with demigod girls and being so fracking scary?

“Might I remind you that during the war games, I circle overhead on my pegasi,” she said pointedly. “This is to give me a better view so I can  _ see _ everything that’s going on  _ below me.  _ Such as, for example, a legionnaire of over four years turning into a bird.”

_ Caught, _ Frank thought. “In my defense, I only figured out my powers recently.”

Reyna squinted. “Explain them to me.”

Frank did, telling her about his bloodline, all the animals he’d turned into so far, and what it was like. He avoided telling her about the anxiety it initially caused him, as well as his close communication with Mars. That still felt too personal to share, and Frank knew many demigods who would give a lot to have a direct line of communication with their godly parent like he did. 

When he was done, she simply nodded. “And does anyone else know?”

“The new camper, Hazel,” he said. “That was an, uh, accident. And I told Jason on the way to the games.”

“Hmm.” Frank wasn’t sure what sort of reaction he was hoping for from the praetor. He hadn’t intended on her finding out like this, but he supposed it could have been worse. “Alright then. Thank you for giving me the update. From this point forward, I would like you to spend at least an hour a day training your new powers. Figure out times that fit into your schedule, and notify me when you decide on them so they can be added officially. Private space can be arranged if necessary, just let me know.”

Frank blinked. “What?”  _ Train _ his powers? How was she so calm about this?

Reyna was as unruffled as ever. “Part of my job as praetor is to help individual legionnaires reach their full potential. For some, this simply means using their divine parentage to learn to fight within the legion. Others, however, have more individualized needs. You have powers: learn how to use them. Become the best you possibly can at using them; then, and only then, will I have done my job.”

“I-- I will,” Frank said, feeling taken aback. He’d been so focused on getting comfortable with his powers and using them in his daily life he’d almost forgotten that they were intended for combat. He still had only nicked the iceberg of all he was capable of; what other animals could he shift into? How long could he hold it for, especially if he was doing a strenuous activity? How many times could he switch back and forth between forms without getting exhausted? 

“Let me know when you confirm your schedule,” Reyna said, clearly the start of a dismissal. “And congratulations on your efforts in the games.”

Frank said his goodbyes, and exited the room, glancing back just in time to see Reyna pick up the ice cream, looking at it meaningfully. 

***

Frank wasn’t proud of it, but after getting back from the  _ Principia _ , he didn’t look for Nico or check on Percy. Hell, he didn’t even  _ shower _ \-- he simply crashed.

He fell asleep fully human and slept like a rock, not a dream or memory or nightmare in sight. He slept so hard, he very well might’ve died for a few hours, but finally he awoke to a pounding on his door. “Dude, are you even alive?”

“I’m up!” Frank called, and then “Come in!”

It was Jason, which Frank already knew based on the voice, and the fact that he didn’t simply barge in like Percy tended to. Jason grinned when he saw him. “Dude, you look like a mess.”

“What time is it?” he asked, groggy. Maybe if it was 5 or 6, he could skip his early morning conditioning--

“It’s 10 in the morning,” Jason said, and Frank squeezed his eyes shut. It looked like he  _ already _ skipped his morning conditioning. “Are you alright?”

Frank rubbed his eyes, hoping that’d help wake him up. It didn’t. He felt almost hungover, like his head was pounding and his skin was crawling. His insides felt like they’d been made of mush. 

He was trying to figure out if he’d somehow overdosed on milk-- he was  _ sure _ the ice cream from last night was lactose-free-- when he realized,  _ oh. I spent more time as an animal yesterday than a human. _

“I’ll be fine,” Frank said, wondering if shapeshifting-induced agony could be treated like any other sort of agony. Should he drink some tea or something?

“I believe you,” Jason said chipperly, sounding like he very much didn’t believe him. “How about we get a late lunch together and you try not to pass out?” 

***

Frank made it through lunch, monster lessons, and Latin class, and only felt like he was going to die of exhaustion twice. He knew he wouldn't be able to go to sword training though, so he asked Jason to tell the instructor and headed back to his room. 

He didn't remember getting there or climbing back into bed, but a while later he woke up. He nearly jerked in surprise when he realized he wasn't alone, but was too tired for that. 

"Nico?" He questioned, part of him wondering if he could go back to bed without dealing with this. "What are you doing here?"

Nico peered over him, frowning. "Checking if you're dead."

"Am I?" Frank asked sarcastically.

"In my professional opinion, no, probably not. Jason sent me, actually. Have you been sleeping all day?"

"Not all day," Frank grumbled, closing his eyes.

"Is it magical exhaustion?"

Frank opened just one eye, peering over at the son of Hades. "What's that?"

"When you perform more magic than you've prepared for," Nico said, having the good graces not to follow it up with  _ duh.  _ "Did you use your powers a lot at the War Games?"

"Do you even know what my powers are?"

Nico shrugged, appearing unbothered. "No, but it's safe to assume you have some. You're not a legacy, are you?"

Frank groaned again, hiding his face in his pillow. This was too much talking; he felt like his head was spinning. 

He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned over just enough to give Nico the stink eye. The boy grinned and offered him a flask. "Well if it  _ is  _ magical exhaustion, drink some of this. Seriously, it'll help."

Frank sat up slowly, grabbing for it. Anything that would help was worth trying. "Is it booze?" He asked, only half-joking. After all, he didn't know what Nico got up to in his free time.

"Better: Nectar. Drink up."

Frank did and immediately felt better. He propped himself up against his headboard and remembered just then that he actually had something to talk to Nico about. 

"So, you talked with Percy," he said, and the son of Hades made a face.

"You'll have to be more specific."

"You had  _ the talk, _ " Frank said, and immediately regretted it. 

"Actually, Percy already knows about sex, I didn't have to give him the talk. You should've seen all that he and Annabeth got up to at camp, I can't believe Chiron never--"

"Nico, I have magic exhaustion," Frank complained, rubbing his temples. "Give me a break. You know what I meant: you had the talk about the war." 

Nico nodded, slightly more seriously now. "We did." 

"I know you told Percy about what happened to your camp, and that he told you the truth about where he was during that time."

"Yeah," Nico said, as if waiting for Frank to get to the point.

He raised his eyebrows. "So? What did you think? How'd you react?"

Nico was trying hard to keep his chill, but Frank could see his muscles tense, his expression darken. "I listened to what he said. Was I supposed to react?"

"Nico, he didn't abandon you guys. He was captured; he never meant to leave you guys all alone."

Nico clenched his jaw. "We don't have to talk about this right now."

Frank grabbed one of his pillows and threw it at him. The son of Hades, apparently not expecting this, let it hit him straight in the face and stumbled backward. He tossed the pillow back at Frank, looking shocked. "Frank, what the fuck?" 

"I've got shit to do," Frank complained. "I'm two days behind on my workouts, I need to start doing individual powers training, and apparently I have magic exhaustion. I told Percy I'd talk to you, so fucking talk to me."

Nico scowled. " _ I  _ didn't promise Percy anything."

Frank chucked the pillow back at him, though this time he ducked. "Hey!"

"Percy was a captive on a boat for years! He was tortured, turned powerless, and made to watch as monsters invaded his hometown! He was held captive by a guy named Luke, don't know if you knew him, but  _ Percy _ did. The first time he and Jason were in battle together, Percy tried to kill him because he had a flashback. Then--" Frank remembered that day, that haunting war games where Percy nearly slit his throat in front of the whole legion. It had been weeks, but still that mental image was burned into Frank's mind, constantly popping up again and reminding him how close he got to losing his best friend. "Then, when it looked like he wouldn't defeat him, Percy tried to kill himself. You didn't see it, Nico. You didn't see the look in his eyes. I don't care what you went through; you ended up a hero of Olympus. Percy ended up a reject of Olympus. There's a reason he never went back to your camp." 

For a few moments, they were absolutely quiet, Nico's head ducked, his dark hair obscuring his eyes. "Don't tell me this." 

"Too late, I'm telling you. You need to know, it's not fair to him if--" 

"Have you ever considered that it's not fair to me?" Nico demanded. "Maybe I don't want to know, maybe I can't handle knowing that I failed." 

Frank frowned. "What--"

"During the war, I was the leader. I didn't work alone, but for the most part, I made the calls. People wanted to look for his body, but I told them no, it wasn't worth the resources. People wanted to try and get on the Princess Andromeda and blow it up, and I told them no, it was too risky. There were times when this could've been avoided, when we could've found Percy,  _ saved  _ Percy, but we didn't--  _ I  _ didn't. So no, I don't want to know about what he went through, I don't want to know how much of the blood on my hands is his." 

Frank didn't know what to say, so it was a good thing the door opened when it did. Percy strolled in so casually Frank figured he must have been listening through the door. In his hand he held a cup of water, which he promptly splashed Nico with. Nico was so surprised he barely even took a step back, glancing down at the water dripping off his chin with wide eyes.

"It's not your fault," he said, somehow making the otherwise kind words sound like an accusation. "I didn't tell you my story just so you could add it on to your guilt like some sort of martyr." 

"I could've made different calls--" Nico started saying, but Frank cut him off.

"Percy's right. He doesn't need you taking on his guilt too. Actually, how about we all stop feeling guilty about the things we can't control? Whatever happened, happened. We're here now so we can move on and get better, and learn from our mistakes." 

"Wise words from someone who's never had anything bad happen to them," Percy said, and Frank felt like he'd been slapped. Still, he persisted. 

"Pain is not a competition," he insisted, raising his voice with the hope that maybe he could get it through Percy's thick skull. "When I left for Camp Jupiter, I had to abandon my grandmother in our family house that was on the brink of destruction. I couldn't save her, and you know what? I don't waste away every day wondering if I could've made a different call because it's too late now. All I can do is train, and fight, and master my powers, and hope that one day, I can do enough good in the world to cancel out all the bad that's taken place already. That's my calling, and that's the call of the demigod. So stop trying to take on each other's pain!" 

The second he stopped talking, he felt dizzy, and almost fell backward. Thankfully, Percy rushed over, supporting him by the shoulders before he could hit his head on the headboard. "Shit Frank, are you okay?" 

Frank could hear Nico's voice from the other side of the room, saying: "he's got magic exhaustion, he overdid it with his powers." 

"What powers?" Percy asked, panicked. "Frank?" 

Frank's eyes were closed, and he could feel his heartbeat in his head. He grimaced; yeah, he really needed to start training his magic. It wouldn't do to be this weak after a fight. 

"Here, give him this," he heard, then felt the canteen against his lips again, the drink of the gods sliding down his throat. That helped, and he opened his eyes, blinking to try to clear his vision. 

"Not too much, he's already had some." 

Frank sighed as the canteen was pulled away. "Think I should… rest some more."

"You do that," Percy said seriously. "I'll stand watch. Nico, can you get him some food for when he wakes up? Something with protein and carbs."

"Got it." 

Frank sighed again. He felt some movement and closed his eyes as his head was lowered-- directly on to Percy's lap, it seemed. "Sleep now," he murmured. 

"Sleep now," Percy agreed.

***

Frank felt infinitely better when he woke up. He rolled over, smacking his lips a few times, and frowned as he opened his eyes. This was… not his pillow.

"Hey man," Percy said from directly above him. "You awake?" 

Frank was looking at his knee, he realized. He'd fallen asleep in his lap. That was awkward-- though he supposed, not too strange, since they fell asleep leaning on each other all the time after their late-night couch talks. 

"I'm up," he said, voice a little scratchy. "Do I smell food?"

Percy chuckled a little above him. "Yeah, Nico grabbed you dinner. Sit up and you can eat it." 

That was pretty good motivation, so Frank sat up and Percy passed over the plate and utensils. Frank dug in, barely paying attention to what it was: he was  _ starving.  _ "What time is it?" 

"Past dinner," Percy said, and Frank would've groaned, but that'd mean taking a break from eating. "Also, I just wanted to apologize about the comment I made earlier, about nothing bad ever happening to you. That was mean, and you were right; it's not right to compare pain." 

"I'm very wise," Frank agreed in between bites. Percy snorted. "Also, that was such a mature apology. Have you been actually getting something out of therapy?"

"Don't patronize me," Percy grumbled, but he was smiling. "Also, I want to hear about these supposed powers of yours. What are they? Can you summon other people's spears to your hand, or throw a shield like Captain America or something?"

Frank swallowed his bite of food, opened his mouth to respond, then closed it. "Um. No, it's nothing very… specific to Mars." 

"Really? Then what is it?"

Frank took another bite to procrastinate answering. He'd spent so long trying to hide his powers that he'd never thought about a casual way to bring them up. "You know, I think it'd be better to just show you." 

"Fair enough," Percy said. "Though, maybe give it a day. We don't want to make your magical exhaustion worse." 

"Agreed."

***

The next day, feeling back to 100%, Frank brought Percy and Jason out to the empty arena, standing in the middle. He took a deep breath, then started, voice completely serious. "Percy, I think it's time I let the  _ cat _ out of the bag."

Jason immediately perked up. "You're telling him now?"

"I am," Frank agreed, nodding sagely. "No more  _ chickening _ out."

Percy looked back and forth between them. "Telling me what?"

"I can't  _ horse _ around any longer."

"You can't  _ clam _ up now," Jason agreed.

Frank had to work hard to keep from smiling. "Percy-- I think it's time we address the  _ elephant _ in the room." Then he closed his eyes and turned into an elephant. 

For a couple seconds, Percy was absolutely silent. Then, loudly, he proclaimed "What the  _ fuck?!" _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 🤠
> 
> In this chapter:  
> \- War games (bird edition)  
> \- Post-games ice cream and chat with Reyna (about how Frank needs to start individual powers training)  
> \- Magical exhaustion  
> \- Conversation with Nico (and then also Percy) about pain competitions and validating each other's experiences   
> \- More magical exhaustion (and gently nurturing Percy 😢)  
> \- Telling Percy about Frank's powers
> 
> So yayyy, both of the boys (and Reyna) know now!
> 
> I would also like to take a moment to shout out my favorite line of this chapter, where Nico was explaining himself as to why he didn't want to think about what Percy went through by saying "So no, I don't want to know about what he went through, I don't want to know how much of the blood on my hands is his." 
> 
> Please let me know what you thought, and have a great day!


	12. Chapter 12

After Percy got over the initial shock of the revelation, he was excited, and asked Frank a million questions about his shape-shifting. Jason joined in, and the conversation extended into lunch, with the three of them all trying their best to keep their voices semi-quiet so the entire camp didn’t learn Frank’s secret.

“Is there anything you can’t turn into?” Percy asked. 

Frank made an  _ eh _ gesture with his hand. “It depends on the moment. Usually, I can’t turn into something without a decent understanding of the animal, what it looks like, how it acts, stuff like that. So birds are easy, because there were a ton of birds near my house growing up.”  _ So are pugs,  _ he added mentally,  _ because I used to spend hours watching cute dog videos online.  _ “I’ve never tried turning into a bug, though. I don’t know if I can.”

“I’d be kind of worried about it,” Jason admitted. “Like, what if someone swats you?”

“Or what if a bird eats me?" Frank agreed, since yeah, he'd thought about this too.

Percy shook his head. “So, to clarify, this isn’t a Mars thing?”

“Nah. Supposedly it’s from my mom’s side. One of her ancestors was a child of Poseidon, and was apparently gifted this? And it passed through the generations, skipping some.”

“So technically, you and Percy are related,” Jason pointed out. “And not even in the ‘all demigods are related’ kind of way. Like, actually related.”

“Yeah,” Frank agreed. “So we probably shouldn’t date. Sorry, Percy.”

“I’ll cry myself to sleep over it,” Percy said dryly. “Seriously though, I can’t get over how cool those powers are. I bet you could do some really neat stuff with it in a fight.”

Frank thought back to the fight with the catoblepas, and had to hide his smile. He was pretty proud of how that went-- even if things with Hazel afterward were awkward. “Yeah. And I’ll be able to do even more after I start doing individual training. Which reminds me, do either of you do individual powers training?” 

Percy made a disgusted face, which didn’t surprise Frank, but Jason shook his head, which did. “Nah. I practice wind magic sometimes on my own, but nothing serious.”

“What about flying?”

Jason scowled down at his plate. “No. I haven’t tried flying again since my quest. I don’t want to lean into my powers too much; I just want to be a normal legionnaire.”

“That’s dumb,” Percy said, popping a french fry in his mouth. “Train your powers so you can use them. Swordfighting is fun and all, but when you’re up against a horde of monsters on your own, you’ll be glad you trained your powers.”

“Or maybe I just won’t be up against a horde of monsters on my own. Maybe I’ll just stay with the legion, and only fight in battles with my Cohort.”

Percy snorted. “Have fun with that.”

“Demigod life isn’t all about questing,” Jason argued. 

“It’s not all about fighting in wars, either. The last war was less than a year ago, you think there will be another so soon?”   
“Well I have to prepare, don’t I?”

“Can I interject?” Frank said, wanting to step in before they could get any angrier. Jason had a glass of water on the table before him, and Frank was pretty sure he saw it trembling a moment ago, as if Percy was controlling it without even realizing. “Percy has a point that you should learn how to use your powers--”

“Thank you!”   
“--but that doesn’t mean you have to use them in real fights,” Frank continued. “Or like, show anyone. You could just train them in private, and never even use them for war games. But if you ever were to need them, you'd be glad you had them.”

“I guess,” Jason agreed glumly. “Actually, how about this-- I’ll start training my powers if Percy does.”

“I’ve created hurricanes before, you can consider my powers  _ trained _ ,” Percy said haughtily. 

Frank rolled his eyes. “Yeah, but when was the last time you did something like that? Magic exhaustion is real, trust me. If you tried pulling a stunt like that now, you could pass out.”

Percy narrowed his eyes, and Frank realized too soon that the son of Poseidon may have taken that as a challenge. Before he could say anything, there was an explosion behind him, and Frank turned just in time to see an entire table of legionnaires from the First Cohort get soaked by a rouge fire sprinkler in the ceiling. Included in that group was Octavian, who was so busy shouting obscenities he slipped on the water and fell on his ass.

“Oh no, I might faint,” Percy said, completely dry. He took another sip of Coke.

“You’re mean,” Jason pointed out. “They didn’t do anything to you.”

“They always give me dirty looks,” Percy corrected. One of the soaked legionnaires looked over to their table, and Percy waved innocently. 

Frank just rolled his eyes. “Well, at least you’re not afraid to use your powers anymore.”

***

Later that day, Frank went looking for Hazel. He didn't really know why, but she'd come up in his thoughts earlier in the day and he wanted to check in, see how she was doing. She and Nico had been at a couple meals with them, but not all of them. Frank hoped that meant finding friends was going well for her. 

He walked around, checking all the areas he'd seen Hazel before with no luck. He even checked the tree where she'd sat to read, and found himself standing there looking at it for just a little too long. The tree was smaller than he remembered, the grass cut more closely to the ground. The sun was the same though; warm overhead, blocked just enough by the leaves to keep from being too bright. 

He remembered sitting on Hazel's lap, her hand in his fur. It had been embarrassingly nice. Frank had never understood why dogs begged for attention like they did until he became one; suddenly, to be touched, held, petted was the best feeling in the world.  _ Especially  _ by someone as gentle as Hazel.

He made himself leave the tree before it got too weird. He kept searching a little longer, then squared his shoulders and checked the barracks. It felt strangely personal venturing toward Hazel's bedroom, but Frank reassured himself by thinking that if Hazel was a  _ guy _ , it wouldn't have been weird at all. He was just looking for his friend, that was it. 

Luckily, he found her, and he didn't even have to go to her room. Unluckily, that was because she was in her hall's living room-- asleep on her brother's lap.

"Oh--" Frank said, caught off guard. "Uh-- hi." 

"Hey," Nico said, keeping his voice relatively quiet. He had his legs stretched out on the couch and was relaxing against the armrest, looking more at peace than Frank had ever seen him. That probably had something to do with Hazel asleep on top of him, her head rested on a pillow over his solar plexus. "What can I do you for?" 

"I was just looking for Hazel," Frank admitted. "I wanted to check in, see how she's doing." 

"How she's doing with what?" Nico asked, suspicious. 

"Just moving into camp, and everything. Do you know if she's had much luck with friends yet?"

"She's getting there," Nico said, which was a non-answer if he'd ever heard one. 

Just then, Hazel stirred, and slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes. One chunk of her curly hair was on the wrong side of her head, sticking up a little, and Frank had to suppress a smile so she didn't think he was laughing at her. "Oh, hi Frank. This is embarrassing." 

"Don't worry about it. I got magic exhaustion the other day and slept for like, 24 hours. There's no shame in naps." Though it was kind of interesting that Hazel seemed to nap so often. Frank wondered if she had nightmares too; he wished he had better advice than just  _ turn into a dog and you won't dream as much.  _

"I saw you at the games the other day," Hazel said, setting her gaze on Frank. For some reason, he got the same feeling he got around Reyna sometimes, like he had to stand up straight and have his armor shined for inspection. 

_ She's regal too,  _ his mind supplied, which was silly, but true. Reyna seemed regal because she was the commander of an entire legion, the sole praetor, the leader of a nation of demigods. She held herself like a ruler of men because she  _ was  _ one. Hazel didn't have any of that, and yet something about the way she held herself was the same. 

At last, the puzzle piece clicked into place.  _ Pluto: the god of all the riches under the earth.  _ That'd explain Hazel's golden eyes. It also explained why she held herself like a queen. 

_ She asked you a question, dimwit, _ his mind supplied helpfully, and Frank jerked into an answer. "Oh, right, the war games. That was your first one, right? How'd it go?"

"Fine I guess," she said with a little shrug. "No one really bothered me, I guess they all saw I was new. The armor was really heavy though."

"Yeah, you get used to it," Frank agreed. 

"You seemed to do pretty well though. How'd you and Jason capture the flag? Did you use your powers at all?"

"I did," Frank said, glancing at Nico briefly. "I um, told Jason right before the games, and I told Percy earlier today but that's another story. I used my powers to turn into a hawk and get into the building, and then steal the flag that way."

Nico turned around, squinting at him. "You can shapeshift?"

"Uh, yeah."

"But you're the son of Mars? How does that work?"

Frank shrugged. "Its a gift."

"Huh," Nico said, and mirrored his shrug, turning back around. Before Frank had come in, he'd been writing in a notebook, which he now picked up to continue. 

"You know, you never struck me as the type to journal," Frank said, gently teasing. 

"And you never struck me as a snitch, and yet here we are." 

"He's writing love letters," Hazel said mischievously. Nico looked up, betrayed, and kicked her lightly in the calf. "It's very romantic."

Frank nodded seriously. "Oh, unrequited? That's tough, man."

"Suck my dick," Nico snapped back. "It's requited, thank you very much.  _ Aggressively  _ requited." 

"I'm not gonna ask," Frank decided. 

"Oh, you can ask," Nico said, eyes darkening. "Just don't ask if you want all your bones to stay intact." 

Hazel shot her brother a dirty look, but Frank just repeated "I won't ask." He wasn't sure he wanted to know what kind of guy Nico could pull.

***

The rest of the day went pretty normally for Frank, with the addition of his extra powers training time. He did his best not to do anything too strenuous so he wouldn’t have a repeat experience of magical exhaustion. He figured out that simply being in another form didn’t exhaust him-- which was why he was able to sleep as a pug and wake up feeling well-rested-- but it was the act of switching between forms multiple times that exhausted him. He supposed it made sense, since each shift was so drastic. It was made possible through magic, but it took a lot of magic for all the muscles in his body to change form and start moving in different ways, all in a matter of a second. No wonder he basically slept all of Friday. 

So, for his individual training, he was careful to track the amount of times he shifted form, and the way he felt after each shift. He would turn into one form and practice maneuvering around in it, then switch to another and do the same. Eventually, he’d try more complicated things, but for now this worked.

Afterward, he stopped by the  _ Principia  _ and gave Reyna’s secretary his request to have that time blocked off in his schedule, as she'd told him to do. He was also authorized to use the arena for his practice, which would offer him a good amount of privacy. 

He showered off and went to dinner in high spirits. Nico and Hazel joined them again, and Frank and Hazel made eye contact from across the table as Percy and Jason bickered, like  _ ugh, aren’t they ridiculous?  _ At one point, Hazel made a funny face, imitating Percy’s disgusted expression, and Frank laughed so hard he almost spat out his drink. 

_ I could get used to this, _ he thought to himself as they all walked back to the barracks in a loose group, still chatting and joking. He had friends, both established friends and new friends on the horizon,  _ looking at you children of Pluto.  _ He had a good grip on his power, and had ideas for new things to try. He was doing well in the legion. All day, people had been mentioning the War Games, congratulating him for his vague role in their team’s win. Things just were really nice, and Frank didn’t want them to change. 

_ If every day for the rest of my life was like this,  _ he thought,  _ I’d be happy.  _

***

Of course, that meant things had to go wrong as soon as his head hit his pillow. 

He fell asleep as a pug, so he shouldn't have even dreamed, much less had nightmares. And yet, as he drifted into the deeper stages of sleep, it was almost as if he  _ felt  _ a new signal being projected into his head, a powerful force pushing past his defenses and dragging him toward a nightmare.

_ Knowledge is a blessing,  _ a female voice hissed in his mind.  _ Don't fight it. You and your friends will be grateful for what I'm about to show you. _

_ No, _ he thought, but it was too late. 

He opened his eyes and found himself standing on a grassy hillside. He knew it was just a dream, but it was so lifelike he caught his breath. He was in a beautiful meadow, and without even turning his head he could see a peaceful beach, a thick forest, and vast strawberry fields. There was a clearing in the middle where a collection of buildings stood, some looking like modern structures, while others looked like they’d been teleported straight from Ancient Greece. The scent of the area was so strong he found himself closing his eyes and inhaling deeply through his nose, smelling a campfire, fresh fruit, pine needles, the sea. 

A blast of force hit Frank and sent him rolling backward in the grass, the sound of the explosion coming a moment later:  _ BOOM!  _ He opened his eyes and watched in a panic as the woods lit up with fire fifty feet high. As he watched, more fire bombs rained down, setting buildings on fire left and right, destroying a volleyball pit, creating huge craters in the ground. The camp was ablaze, and if someone didn’t do anything to stop it, it would burn to ashes. 

Frank ran forward, feeling slower than ever before. He grabbed his bow off his back, but it wilted like a daisy in his hand, and he threw it aside. He reached for another weapon, but before he could he was engulfed in a swarm of specters, tinged green and pink and blue and sprinting straight through him as if they didn’t see him. They wailed, tearing their clothes in agony as they ran, but they couldn’t do anything. As Frank watched, they started disappearing, screaming as they vaporized as if they’d never been there to begin with. 

_ Nature spirits,  _ he thought, too late.  _ The woods! _

__ He ran for them, but there was nothing he could do. He found himself in the middle of a battle, armored monsters fighting against demigods who were already cut and bleeding. They were fighting a losing battle, and it was as if they already knew it. 

Beside him, a demigod was cut down, and fell with a shout. He had blond hair and violet eyes, his pink skin dark with a flush as he collapsed on his back, pressing his fingers into the deep gash across his chest. His entire hand came back bloody, soaking through his orange t-shirt. 

“Help!” he cried, eyelids heavy with tears. “Please, help! I’m hurt!”   
In a flash, another camper was there, pressing cloth into the wound. “You’ll be okay,” he promised, saying it like a chant. He appeared to be a healer, but Frank couldn’t imagine how he thought there was any healing the dying camper. 

Frank knelt by his side, taking his hand in his and squeezing. Already, there was too much blood loss, the boy’s cheeks paling drastically. 

Behind him, a monster shrieked as it was turned to dust, and another camper ran over. Frank glanced over, and had to do a double take as he realized it was  _ Nico--  _ younger with shaggier hair, sure, but Nico. 

“Castor,” Nico said, dropping to his knees beside the dying demigod. “What happened? What monster?”   
Castor was watching the healer try, uselessly, to pack his wound. Every cloth that touched him was soaked through with red in seconds. “I-- it was a dracaena. She-- I didn’t see--”

Nico looked up, eyes hard, and found the monster immediately. He flicked his fingers toward the monster, and a trio of ghouls who’d been fighting other beasts all turned toward the monster, attacking viciously. Nico looked back to Castor, eyes searching his face. Without looking away, he commanded, “Will, I heard another scream. Go help them.”

The medic looked up, panicked. “But--”

Nico met his eyes, and an understanding seemed to pass between them. Will grabbed Castor’s clean hand, squeezing it tightly. “You’ve been a good friend,” he swore, then got up and ran to help someone else.

If Castor realized what that meant, he didn’t show it. “We need reinforcements,” he said seriously, tear-streaks marking his face. 

“No one else is coming.”

“There has to be  _ someone _ ,” Castor begged, getting desperate. “There has to be anyone, an old ally, the Hunters--”

“No one else is coming,” Nico repeated. Somewhere behind them, there was another explosion that rattled the ground beneath their feet. Neither of the boys looked up, together in their own world.

Castor’s entire body was trembling. “Maybe-- Percy could still--”

“Percy Jackson is  _ dead _ ,” Nico said, voice as harsh as nails on a chalkboard. “There are  _ no _ reinforcements! It’s up to us now, don’t you get it? No more backups, no more surprises, no more heroes!”

Shakily, Castor gripped Nico’s hand with both of his own, cupping them and squeezing tightly. He blinked away a few tears, breath wracked with pain. “You mean-- it’s up to you now.”

And then he went limp. The rise and fall of his chest stopped. He was dead-- just like that.

Nico squeezed his eyes shut, letting out a single, furious tear of his own. Then he looked into the woods, eyes blazing. “Come on Percy,” he whispered, desperate. “Come on Percy. Come--”

Nico had stayed in place too long. An enemy demigod noticed this and tried to stab him with his sword, but right at the last second Nico’s image flickered like a ghost, and the sword went straight through him, the point of the blade lodging in Castor’s chest with a sickening squelch. 

Nico blinked, then rose, the sword passing straight through him. As soon as he was away from it, his form solidified again, glaring daggers at the enemy demigod. When they couldn’t pull their sword free of the carcass at their feet, then dropped it and tried to run, but they never had a chance. Nico wasn’t the best swordsman Frank had ever seen, especially not this younger version, but he was effective, and the demigod fell dead at his feet. 

Nico ran away, rushing to keep fighting, and Frank stood, feeling oddly empty. He turned and saw an archer notch an arrow. Before he could even think about moving, the bowstring was released and the arrow sailed directly through him, tearing the dream apart. 

***

Frank sat up, gasping. 

He was in his room, in the barracks of Camp Jupiter. 

He was safe. 

The camp was fine. The place from his dream wasn’t even  _ his  _ camp, but another place, far away on the other side of the country. Based on Nico’s young appearance, the dream had taken place years ago, meaning currently, that camp was fine too. Everyone was fine. 

But the dream had been real. 

Sometime during his sleep, Frank had turned back into his human form, and now he covered his face with his hands. That place was  _ Camp Half-Blood,  _ years ago during its invasion.  _ The Battle of the Labyrinth,  _ Frank remembered Nico calling it.  _ That was less than a month after Percy disappeared. Half of the buildings burned, and we lost a dozen demigods. _

__ They’d survived, though, and somehow pushed back the invading army, though Frank couldn’t imagine how. He remembered the dying demigod’s words:  _ we need reinforcements.  _

__ Frank curled in on himself and sobbed. 

He stayed there crying for minutes, maybe. It wasn’t nearly long enough, but he was stopped rather abruptly when every fire sprinkler in the building went off at once, soaking him to the bone. He jerked out of bed, remembering too late what the voice in his mind had said:  _ You and your friends will be grateful for what I'm about to show you. _

Percy had the dream too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is already written, and will be posted once enough people comment!
> 
> So. Uh. Heh-heh *scratches back of neck awkwardly*  
> Anyway, um, yeah, that happened. Sorry?   
> I’d like to make a quick shout out to @Marcus_Aurelius_Antoninus who asked for more angst. This chapter wasn’t actually a result of that comment, but, uh, yeah :)
> 
> In this chapter, nice wholesome stuff happened, Percy and Jason were super excited to talk to Frank about his powers, Frank had a really nice chat with a sleepy Hazel and Nico, etc etc, but yeah, I get if you guys don’t want to exactly talk about that right now? 
> 
> On that note, have a great day!


	13. Chapter 13

**Jason**

Jason woke with a start. The first thing on his mind:  _ I have to wake Percy. _

__ He nearly fell in his rush to get out of bed. He pushed his glasses on, which didn’t help much in the still-dark room, and threw on a shirt. In a moment, he had thrown himself out of his room, and was sprinting down the hall to Percy’s room. 

The dream had been horrific: the attack on Camp Half-Blood, the camper’s death, Nico’s face as he pleaded for Percy to perform a miracle and show up. The dream had looked different from most of Jason’s dreams too. Somehow, that dream had been placed in his mind, and he knew he wasn't the only one. 

_ Percy.  _

Jason had fallen asleep early. That meant that maybe-- hopefully-- he'd had the entire dream before Percy could have it. If he hurried, maybe he could wake Percy up before it hit.

He tore through the halls and slammed into Percy’s room, the door banging against the opposite wall. Percy was asleep in the dark, and Jason grabbed his arm and shook him, saying “Percy, Percy, wake up.”

Percy stirred slightly, then opened his eyes wide, gasping. He stared up at Jason, and even in the lowlight Jason could see the horror behind his gaze. 

“Camp was on fire,” Percy whispered. Then, every fire sprinkler in the building went off at once, and Jason was hit with a torrent of freezing water. 

“Motherfucker!” he shouted, and clenched his teeth. He wasn’t giving up yet. Shielding his eyes from the blast, he pulled Percy up to sitting. He had to know how much of the dream he’d had. 

Outside the room, people were shouting and running, but Jason made himself focus. He  _ could _ do this. 

“Percy, I had the dream too,” he explained. “Did you finish it?”

Percy frowned. He didn’t seem to be aware of the sprinklers going off around him, or of the fact that he’d caused them. “Did I… finish it?”

“Yes. What happened at the end of your dream?”

“I… Castor was about to die. He said ‘we need reinforcements’.” 

Jason could’ve wept. Percy hadn’t had the full dream, which meant he hadn’t heard Castor wondering if Percy would show up and save the day, hadn’t seen Nico’s desperate searching gaze. Jason didn't know what Percy would do if he'd seen it. Jason knew Percy still struggled under the guilt that he'd somehow abandoned camp, even though it hadn't been his choice. If he'd heard what Castor said, heard him pleading  _ maybe Percy will show up and save the day…  _ Jason wasn't sure if he'd recover. 

But he hadn't. Which meant that there was still hope that he'd be fine.

Jason grabbed Percy and squeezed him in a hug. Percy seemed to be surprised, but clung on to him, burying his face in his shoulder. “Camp was on fire,” he repeated, not even crying yet. “I should’ve been there. I should’ve been there.”

“Only the fates know,” Jason said, digging his fingers into Percy’s hair, and petting him with desperate, jerky movements. It was ridiculous how relieved he felt.

He'd kept Percy from seeing the second half of the dream, and for that, he was infinitely grateful.

There was a noise, and Jason turned to see Frank rushing into the room. He stopped in his tracks when he saw that Percy was already up. 

“Percy,” he said, panicked. “The fire sprinklers.”

Percy frowned, then seemed to realize for the first time that he’d set off the sprinklers in the entire building. “Shit!” he announced, waving his hand, and immediately they shut off. Jason breathed a sigh in relief; that water’d been  _ cold.  _

__ Percy pulled back enough to look Jason’s face over, only now noticing that it was dotted with water. “Sorry, I’m so--”

“It’s fine,” Jason swore quietly, and Percy bit his bottom lip, nodding. He squeezed Jason’s shoulder, and he felt himself magically dry, even his clothes. “Thanks,” he whispered. 

Percy looked over his shoulder at Frank. “I’m sorry. I-- I had a nightmare--”

“I had the same one,” Frank said, voice gruff. “At least, I think.”

Just then, Nico and Hazel jogged in, still soaked. “I had a nightmare about the other camp,” Hazel said. 

“Nico, did you--”

Nico shook his head. “I didn’t have any dreams." 

Jason felt a little sick. He remembered the way Nico looked when he turned part ghost, the sword going straight through his body like he wasn't even there. He remembered his grim expression as he killed the enemy demigod. Jason didn't have to be at camp for long to know how incredibly taboo that was. 

As if sensing his thoughts, Nico turned to Jason, frowning. "What?"

"Nothing," he said quickly, and averted his eyes. 

"We need to figure out what this dream meant," Frank said. "I heard a voice before it started--" 

"Me too," Hazel agreed. "And even if I hadn't, something about this dream felt off. It didn't feel like my normal dreams. Almost as if--" 

"Someone put the images straight into our heads," Jason finished for her. Someone wanted them to have those visions-- someone wanted  _ Percy  _ to have those visions. Jason felt the hairs on his arms rise, his body bubbling with heat, almost like electricity. 

_ Now is not the time to summon lightning,  _ he thought, but that didn't make him want to any less. Some powerful being out there wanted to hurt Percy. 

"We need to figure this out," Nico said, unaware of Jason's mounting energy. "Let's move to the living room."

***

The living room, like the rest of the building, was completely soaked through with water. Percy was the first to sit on the couch, making a face when it squelched with water. "Ew." He closed his eyes and held out a hand, and the water drained out of it onto the floor, like he was wringing it out with his mind.

"I'll sit next to you," Jason decided, sitting beside Percy on the dry couch. 

"Same," Frank agreed.

Percy dried the other furniture, and the others sat down as well. Frank started the conversation, saying how surprised he was that Nico didn't get the dream too, and Nico asked, "What was the dream even about? Hazel just told me it involved Camp Half-Blood." 

Jason glanced at Frank, hoping he'd be the one to break the news. Unfortunately, Frank was giving him the same look.

Finally, it was Hazel who answered. "It was a vision of the past: the Battle of the Labyrinth."

Nico's expression dimmed. "Oh." 

Percy shook his head. "I knew it'd been bad, but… I don't know. I just  _ wish  _ I'd been there." 

Jason didn't know the son of Hades well, but he remembered the way he'd looked in the dream.  _ Nico wished you'd been there too.  _

"It seemed so hopeless," Frank said. "How did you manage to survive?"

"We had to pull together," Nico said vaguely. "I think at some point we realized how bad the odds truly were. We used everything we had. Some of the monsters started getting skittish, and finally they had a mass retreat, and we blew the tunnel." 

They kept talking, with Jason slowly dropping out of the conversation. He could feel Percy's presence beside him, feel his every breath. Jason was sitting with one leg folded under him, only a few inches away from Percy’s leg. He wanted to reach out to him, offer some sort of comfort, but he held himself back. He’d already held him close earlier, and that was pushing enough boundaries on it’s own. He couldn’t create a precedent like that. 

Eventually, their little group broke apart. Nico and Hazel went back to their rooms, and Jason sighed, getting up. As centurian, the responsibility of dealing with the hordes of soaking wet campers outside probably fell to him. "Percy, do me a favor and dry this place as much as you can," he ordered. "I'll go deal with the others." 

"What'll you tell them?" Frank questioned. 

Jason shrugged one shoulder. "Probably just that there's something wrong with the fire alarm system. It was a freak accident; I won't bring Percy into it."

“You sure?” Percy asked. “I’m sure they’d all be completely understanding. After all, the Fifth Cohort likes me sooooo much.”

Jason rolled his eyes, and didn’t validate that with a response. “Go to bed.”

Jason went out and did as he'd said. Though the campers had filed out and gotten in their hall-groups like they were supposed to, they were all still soaking wet and upset at being woken so abruptly. Jason and Gwen tag-teamed dealing with everyone, but still it took hours to get everyone back to bed. 

“I’ll talk to Reyna in the morning,” Jason grumbled. “We’ll figure out what to do with the property damage caused by the sprinklers then.”

Gwen nodded tiredly. “Sounds good. Come on, let’s go back to bed. If we hurry, we might get another two hours of sleep.”

“Lucky us,” Jason grumbled. But as soon as he got back to his room, he knew he didn’t want to go back to sleep. He changed his sheets and used his wind magic to dry his mattress off a little more, but even with a dry bed, he couldn’t get comfortable. Everytime he closed his eyes, he saw the face of the dead demigod. 

_ We need reinforcements,  _ he’d said, and Jason knew he wasn’t just talking about Percy.

***

**Frank**

The next day was somewhat of a haze. Frank couldn’t imagine how he’d functioned back when he was having nightmares every night, because for the entire day Frank felt like he was walking through cotton. The rest of the cohort wasn’t doing much better. Frank kept an ear open to the rumor mill, but so far he hadn’t heard anyone suggesting that Percy was the reason for the sprinkler explosion, which was good. If there was one thing Romans hated, it was being woken from a good night’s rest, and Percy didn’t need more people disliking him. 

Around mid-afternoon, Frank was called in for a meeting with Reyna. He wasn’t surprised; nor was he surprised when he found that all of the other demigods from last night were there, plus Gwen. She and Jason both stood respectfully at attention, though their eyebags gave away how tired they still were. 

Frank sat at the table, scotting his chair in. It squeaked against the floor, loud in the silence. 

Reyna was sitting across the table from them, her purple cloak hanging limply over one shoulder. “Percy, you called this meeting. You may begin when you’re ready.”

_ Percy called the meeting? _

Percy nodded. He looked the worst out of all of them, not only sleep-deprived but almost physically sick. After this, Frank would have to talk to him, maybe convince him to eat a vegetable or something. 

“I’ve made a decision: I want to help unite the camps.”

A few seats down, Nico straightened up. “Really?”

Percy nodded, eye bags prominent. “I didn’t want to be a part of uniting the two camps because I didn’t want the Greeks to know about me, but my dream last night made me realize I was being selfish. It’s not just about me. Our two camps need to know about each other. We need to be able to support each other in times of crisis, and whether the next big crisis happens a year from now, or a decade, or a century… we should be prepared. And if I can help…”

Reyna was already nodding, if not delighted, then at least looking gratified. This would not be an easy task for her especially, but if it worked, it could be the most important thing she did as praetor-- even more important than killing the titan Krios. “Thank you Percy. I appreciate that this won’t be easy for you, but if my intuition is right, it’ll be worth it.”

She and Nico then went into a discussion of their plan to unite the camp, which was already shockingly advanced. It was clear that while neither of them had been explicitly pressuring Percy into coming to this decision, both had been hoping it would happen. “We’ll have to start by telling the centurions, and getting the support of the senate. It’ll be important to get Octavian’s support especially; he holds more sway than you’d think.”

“I’ll take care of that,” Nico said. Frank had no idea what he planned to do, but the son of Hades seemed confident, so who was he to object?

“After we get the approval of the senate, we will hold a legion-wide meeting and announce it that way. Then we can start working with the other camp-- sending ambassadors, making Iris messages, that sort of thing. We’ll start slow.”

“Do you think it’ll work?” Frank asked. This all felt so sudden. Honestly, he hadn’t thought of the Greeks much since learning about their existence, and now there was a chance that he’d meet them. 

Reyna tilted her chin up in challenge. “I don’t think it will be easy, nor do I think it will be simple. We will have to proceed with the utmost caution, or we might just have a war on our hands. But I do believe it’s possible.”

After that, the conversation switched to Percy, and his role in all of this. “I want to be involved as little as possible,” he admitted. “I’ll do what I can, but I don’t want to be the figurehead of this union.”

“That’s alright,” Reyna said. “It’s probably best that you aren’t anyways, especially because of your… reputation amongst the legion.”

  
“Really, you think my reputation would have an impact?” Percy questioned, playing dumb. “I thought that the Romans hating me and thinking I’m crazy would be an asset.”

“You’re hilarious,” Reyna said dryly. “No, I was actually thinking someone else. Jason, is this something you’d be willing to take on?”

Jason didn’t look surprised; was this what they’d talked about at all of their many meetings together? “Yes, R-- praeter.”

Frank felt a wave of emotion rise up, but he tried to stamp it down. This was another opportunity he felt he should’ve gotten-- but of course, Reyna was right. Frank was still learning to control his powers, and needed to focus on that. Besides, Percy was right that the figurehead should be someone well-liked around camp, and there was no one as naturally likeable as Jason. 

Reyna caught Frank’s gaze, and raised an eyebrow. “Do you have any problems with that, Legionnaire Zhang?” 

“No, praetor,” he answered respectfully. “Though… I would like to be a part of the process. I want to help in any way I can.”

“Your willingness to serve is appreciated. I’ll keep an ear out for any opportunities that may come up. Until then, focus on gaining the support of your fellow Romans, and helping your friends. A lot of pressure will be put on Percy and Jason’s shoulders in the coming weeks; they’ll need someone good in their corner.”  _ Also, make sure Percy doesn’t freak out and kill everyone,  _ she seemed to want to say, but managed to hold herself back. 

Frank nodded. “I’ll do my best.”

After the meeting, Jason stayed behind to talk to Reyna, and the others filed outside, heading back to the barracks. Percy was clenching his jaw pretty hard, so Frank decided to give him a minute before trying to start a conversation. Instead, he went to Hazel, giving her the best smile he could manage. “I noticed you dozing during the meeting. I’d make fun of you, but honestly I think I might go back to the barracks and take a nap too. I’m  _ exhausted. _ ”

Hazel looked a little startled. “Oh-- yeah. Sorry, I just-- that’s embarrassing.”

Frank frowned. “I don’t think Reyna even noticed. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”

Nico jogged over to talk to Percy, and Frank almost called out, but managed to hold himself back. They could talk if they wanted.

Hazel stopped walking, forcing Frank to stop too. “I have something I want to tell you, but I’m worried you’ll think it’s weird,” Hazel confessed. 

Frank frowned. “What do you mean?” He tried to guess what she was about to say, but he honestly had no clue. 

Hazel took a deep breath, and said “The reason I fall asleep all the time is because I have Narcolepsy. Nico says it’s a sleep disorder that causes excessive daytime drowsiness, and what that actually means is I just fall asleep all the time. I don’t want it to happen, but I can’t really control it.”

Frank wanted to be weirded out, but when he thought about it, it actually made a lot of sense. “That’s why you kept falling asleep when reading that first day, when I was a pug. And why you are always napping--”

“Yeah,” Hazel said, cutting him off. If Frank didn’t know better, he would have thought she was  _ blushing _ . “It’s really annoying. Nico thinks it’s a side effect of my time in the Underworld.”

“Your three months of training?” Frank clarified. Hazel bit her lip, as if wanting to correct him, but eventually nodded. 

“Yeah. That.”

_ Weird.  _ Frank wondered why Nico didn’t have the disorder too, but maybe that was another Hades/Pluto thing. Besides, Nico looked like he actually belonged in the Underworld, while Hazel seemed much more… full of life.  _ Was that a weird thing to think about someone? Whatever.  _

_ I’m supposed to say something supportive, _ Frank reminded himself, and cleared his throat. “Well, thanks for telling me. I appreciate you… trusting me with that, I guess. And you’ll let me know if there’s anything I can do to help?”

“I-- I will. Thank you, Frank. It’s good to get that off my shoulders.”

“I’m happy to help,” Frank said, grimacing as Nico jogged back over to them. Percy was walking away from the barracks, moving fast, and Frank didn’t know what Nico said to him. “Is he okay?” he asked. 

“About as okay as you’d expect,” Nico said. “He’s going to the unicorn stables. I think he just needs space.”

***

Frank walked to the unicorn stables slowly, trying to give Percy a few minutes to collect himself, while also knowing he needed to talk to him. When he got there, a couple of the horses neighed happily and stomped their hooves, but Percy was nowhere to be seen. 

He walked forward carefully, checking each stall for signs of the son of Poseidon. He wasn’t sure why Percy would go here, but knew vaguely that one of Percy’s jobs was to help tend to the unicorns, so maybe that was it. 

The entire place smelled like hay and dust. It was dark too, with the only light coming in from the open barn doors and cracks in the roof. 

Finally, he got to the last stall, and found Percy there, brushing out one of the unicorn’s manes. He sighed in relief. “Percy.”

“Hey,” Percy said, voice empty. 

Frank leaned over the stall door, resting his elbows on it. “How are you holding up?”

“Never been better,” Percy lied. He shook his head, as if trying to dispel his sour mood. “I like the stables. The unicorns all have interesting things to say, and it’s quiet.”

“The unicorns talk to you?”

  
He nodded. “Horses are Poseidon’s sacred animal. It’s the same as talking to a fish, or porpoise.” The unicorn he was brushing whinnied, and Percy soothed her, patting her neck. “No, that’s not what I meant at all. You’re  _ much  _ smarter than a porpoise.”

Frank tried to move on from the fact that apparently Percy could talk to  _ fish,  _ and focus on what was actually important. “You said they’re  _ Poseidon’s _ sacred animal. Does that mean you’re calling yourself a son of Poseidon now, or--”

“I don’t know what I want to call myself anymore,” Percy said frustratedly. “I don’t know if I want to be a son of Poseidon or Neptune, if I want to be Greek or Roman or, or-- I don’t even know. Sometimes I feel like a little kid who can’t decide what color shoes to buy. What does it even matter? Why can’t I just get over it?”

  
“It’s okay not to feel like there’s a perfect place you belong,” Frank consoled, but Percy shook his head. 

“I know exactly where I belong, the fields of-- no, no, I can’t say that. My therapist says I need to stop making jokes about going to the fields of punishment.”

“She seems like a smart woman.”

“The  _ point _ is-- I want to be here, at Camp Jupiter. I’m doing better, I’m getting more comfortable. I have friends!” He shouted this last part, still brushing the horse's mane, and Frank wondered if he was talking about him and Jason, or the unicorns. “I just don’t want everything to change. I don’t know if I can handle everything changing.”

“I would think someone like you would want change,” Frank commented blithely.

Percy scoffed. “The hell do you mean,  _ someone like me--” _

“Percy, you’re miserable, you’re depressed, and you have nightmares all the time. Maybe this change could be good for you?”

Percy shook his head, looking like he didn’t want to believe it. “You know, I used to have a pegasus. His name was Blackjack. He was-- gods, he was gorgeous.” The unicorn he was brushing snorted, and Percy scowled. “Not everything is a contest. Just because I say one pegasus is gorgeous doesn’t mean I think you’re ugly.” The unicorn sniffed.

Percy glanced over at Frank, as if just remembering he was there. “I don’t know if the change will be good for me or not, I just know it’s necessary. And if it goes wrong… well, Reyna has a pegasus too. I could take it and go somewhere new, where I’ll never run into someone I know. The Ancient Lands, maybe.”

“If you take Skippy, Reyna will follow you, even if it’s to the Ancient Lands,” Frank reminded. “She’s gut you like a fish.”

“Suicide by proxy,” Percy said, wistful. He shook his head. “The point is, if this merger goes wrong, I could leave. There’s nothing tying me here, no prophecies, no quests, no nothing.”

“Except your friends.”

Percy turned, looking at him for the first time. He pursed his lips. “That’d be the hardest part. I don’t know if I could leave if you and Jason were still here.”

Frank felt oddly touched by that admittance. “Thanks.”

Percy hunched his shoulders. “I should probably go. I have to figure out how the hell I’m going to tell the Greeks about this place-- and about me.”

“You think they’ll freak out?”

Percy gave him a wicked grin. “I think it’s a good thing I don’t have a cell phone, otherwise it’d blow up with messages. Actually, while we’re on the topic, can you make me a promise?”

  
Frank blanched. “What sort of promise?”

  
“Promise that if the Greeks  _ do  _ show up on our doorstep, you’ll keep them from skewering me? Because somehow, I get the feeling they’ll want to.”

Frank laughed a little. “I’ll do my best. Though maybe in your message to camp, you could do your best not to be too inflammatory.”

“Man, it’s like you don’t know me  _ at all.” _

Frank sighed, saying “It was worth a try,” and Percy laughed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter:  
> \- Jason woke Percy up from the dream and comforted him  
> \- also: Jason's POV!!!  
> \- they all talked about the dream and dealed with the water  
> \- Everyone in the 5th was just really frickin sleepy  
> \- The Meeting (where percy announced he was willing to help combine the camps, and Reyna and nico helped plan)  
> \- frank talking to Hazel about her narcolepsy  
> \- frank talking to Percy in the unicorn stables (plus frank finding out Percy could talk to horses/fish and having to cope with that information on the spot)
> 
> Please comment and let me know what you think! What do you think about the revelation that Hazel has narcolepsy? Are you excited for the possible union of camps? Any thoughts about how that might go down? I'm super excited to hear all of your comments down below, and have a great day!


	14. Chapter 14

**Paul Blofis**

Paul had had a long day at work at Yancy Academy. He loved teaching, but it killed him how some students just seemed to be intent on causing problems for him. 

_It’s not their fault_ , he reminded himself as he walked in the door, scooping the mail off the ground. _They’re doing their best. Maybe I need to schedule some more individual interviews._ Content with this, he waved his workday out of his mind, trying to get back in his family headspace. He was pretty sure Sally should be home from her publisher’s meeting by now, so he called “I’m home!”

“In the kitchen!” Sally called. 

Paul went to join her, finding her knuckles deep in pastry dough. “Hi sweetheart,” he greeted, kissing her briefly. “How’d the meeting go?”

“Really good! I’ll tell you about it at dinner.”

“Sounds great, what’re we having?”

“Chicken pot pie.”

Paul’s stomach rumbled just thinking about it. “Sounds amazing. Is Estelle--”

“Still down for her nap,” Sally said. “Though honestly I don’t think we need to be quiet. I was listening to the news loudly earlier and she didn’t even stir, so I think we’re fine.”

“She might actually be getting out of her fussy phase,” Paul said in disbelief. He pulled up a step-stool and started rifling through the mail. Normally, he’d offer to help with dinner, but Sally preferred to cook it by herself. He’d contribute by cleaning up after, and getting up with Estelle when she inevitably got fussy that night. 

He looked through the mail, sorting it into piles of bills versus advertisements, but one stuck out. It was a plain envelope with no return address, and no sign of which one of them it was for. Frowning, Paul opened it, and found a handwritten letter within. He started reading, and immediately paled. “Sally, I think this one is for you.”

“Alright, I’ll read it as soon as I finish--”

He looked up, and she must have seen something in his eyes because she stopped kneading her pastry. “I really think you should read it now.”

Sally rushed to wash and dry her hands, then came over, taking the letter gently from his hands like she was afraid to rip it. She read the first line, and immediately stumbled, her knees buckling. 

Paul’s own shock wore off at the sight, and he quickly stood, helping his wife to a chair. “What does it say? Is it actually--”

“ _Dear mom,_ ” Sally read aloud. “ _I’m sorry. This isn’t how anything was supposed to happen, but it’s time I come clean. I am alive. I am safe. Things have been complicated lately, but it’s time to come out with the truth. Please don’t tell anyone at camp, they’ll find out soon enough. I’m really sorry, but I hope you’ve been doing okay, and I’ll send more information soon. I’m so sorry you had to find out like this. Love--_ ” her voice broke here, and she blinked rapidly, dislodging a few tears. “Love, Percy.”

  
  


**_One Week Earlier_ **

**Frank**

Percy looked more nervous than Frank had seen him in a while. He sat on the couch as Frank read the letter, his leg bouncing at his side. 

When Frank finished reading, he shook his head, folding the letter back into thirds. "Woah dude, this is... heavy shit." 

"She deserves to know," Percy said stubbornly. "If anyone from my old life is going to find out about me, she needs to be first. It’s only fair." 

Frank reread the letter again. It didn't take long, as it was only a few short, concise lines, with no flowery language and very little emotion at all. Frank counted the word 'sorry’ three times.

He considered offering revisions, but decided against it. It was a big enough step for Percy to just write this letter; he didn't need to go overboard with editing. The letter would serve its purpose, and Percy could follow up later with more information, maybe a phone call. But for now, Percy wasn't ready for that, and Frank was going to respect him. 

So instead of saying anything else about the letter, he stuffed it in its envelope, licked the seal, and handed it back to Percy. "It's perfect, don't overthink it. Let's get to training?" 

Percy gave him a grateful look, and got to his feet. 

***

Over the past week, Percy had started taking his training a lot more seriously. He’d started making an effort to attend group training sessions instead of just practicing with Jason when he felt like it, along with joining Frank for early morning runs, and helping his hallmates polish their armor before War Games. If Frank had to guess, he’d say it was due to Percy’s recent Greek vs Roman identity crisis. Apparently, their talk in the stables had spurred something inside Percy, and the very next day he'd arrived at breakfast and, with no other greeting, announced "Son of Neptune". 

"Son of Mars," Frank agreed, offering his hand to shake. "Nice to meet you." 

Percy shook his hand with faux-sincerity, then turned to Jason. "Son of Mena," Jason greeted sarcastically. 

The name sounded familiar, but Frank couldn't place it. "What was Mena the goddess of again?" 

“Goddess of menstruation,” Jason announced proudly, and across the table Hazel choked on her beignet.

Frank did his best to accommodate Percy’s desire to become more Roman. He started referring to his father as Neptune instead of Poseidon, and when Camp Half-Blood came up in conversation, he called it “the other camp” instead of “your old camp.” It felt like too small a difference, but Percy seemed to appreciate it, so he kept going. 

The strangest part of Percy’s newest identity crisis was that he started actually being a pretty good legionnaire. He was less interested in picking fights and more interested in productive things, like volunteering at the unicorn stables or going to his classes. One day, Frank even saw him studying. 

"I don't think I've ever seen you do that before," he admitted. 

Percy hummed. He was laying on one of the couches in the living room, holding a textbook above him. If his arms gave out, the book would probably break his nose. "It's for Latin class."

"How's it going?"

"Badly. I don't speak Latin."

It took Frank a moment to understand. Roman demigods had a natural predisposition toward understanding Latin, but it was probably different for Greek demigods. "Oh, it's because-- right. Can you read Ancient Greek then?"

"Yeah. But I’ll figure this out eventually, I just have to look at it from a different angle.”

“Have you not been able to understand any Latin the entire time you’ve been attending classes?”  
Percy hummed. “I don’t usually attend my classes. Who am I trying to impress?”

 _Who_ are _you trying to impress?_ Frank wondered as he walked away. _The rest of the legion? Reyna? Neptune?_

In the end, he figured it wasn’t about impressing anyone at all. It was about fitting in, finding a place where he actually belonged. On that day in the stables, Percy had talked about camp as if he could leave at any time with no consequences. Now, Percy was trying to fit in, become a Roman. _He was putting down roots._

At his father’s temple that night, Frank sacrificed some muscle-man protein bars to the fiery altar, and prayed _please let it work. Please don’t let him leave._

It felt like an oddly sentimental prayer, but Frank didn’t try to hide from the emotion of it. If Percy ran away from camp, Frank had no doubts that he would never see him again. Maybe if Percy was lucky, he’d find a refuge somewhere and be okay for a little while. But if he wasn’t, it sounded like there were plenty of old enemies out there who’d be happy to take a bite out of him, and without the magical boundaries of a camp to protect him…

_Keep him safe,_ Frank prayed, even more aggressively this time. _If he wants to be a Roman, let it happen. Let it work._

He looked up to the marble statue of his father, then squeezed his eyes shut, and prayed some more. 

The next day, Percy dragged him to the city, where he had an appointment at a tattoo shop. He was getting an aggressively nationalist tattoo: a circle with a Roman eagle inside it on his shoulder. The whole while, Frank sat by his side, watching the artist work, and wondering _will this do it? Will this be the thing that causes you to stay?_

“You’ve been quiet lately,” Percy said as they walked back to camp. The tattoo had been finished, and was gorgeous, though it was currently wrapped in cling film and hidden under the sleeve of his shirt. 

“Sorry,” Frank apologized immediately, and Percy shook his head.

“No, don’t say that. Tell me why.”

So Frank told him, the words coming out of him recklessly, uncensored. When he was done, Percy sat down in the grass hard, looking down at his hands. “I’m sorry I made you nervous. I shouldn’t have told you about those thoughts; they’re intrusive, nothing more. I know I need to get better at… you know. Not running away from my problems.”

“Have you talked to your therapist about it?” Frank asked, and Percy nodded. 

“She knows. She says if I need to, I should run away, but only if I’ve exhausted every other option. When I asked her if it was a coward's move, she said ‘only if you don’t try to belong in the first place’. So, that’s what I’m doing. Trying to belong.”

“Maybe it’d help if you were nicer to other legionnaires,” Frank pointed out, and Percy scoffed. 

“How would that help? I’d still not belong, but then I’d be a kiss-up.”

Frank stood, and offered Percy a hand to his feet. “Being nice and being a kiss up are different things.”

“That’s just what the government wants you to think. But the point is, I want to stay here. I want to _belong_ here, and I’m doing everything I can to feel like I do. And, also, I’m sorry for making you worried. I don’t like making other people scared for me.”

Frank felt like a weight had been taken off his chest. “Thanks. And remember, there will always be a place for you at Camp Jupiter.”

Percy looked down the hill at the camp spread out below them, and bit his lip. “I hope you’re right.”

***

Percy took a break from training for a few days for his tattoo to heal, then got right back into the swing of things with a new sense of vigor. Jason agreed to keep working with him on the Roman-style of fighting, and later that day Frank found himself standing on the sidelines of the arena to watch. 

Jason started the lesson by teaching Percy more Roman-style tactics, and then they moved into sparring in order to practice what he’d learned. 

Percy went harder than he normally did from the get-go, which was especially noticeable because Jason was lagging behind. He had no trouble defending himself from Percy's jabs and parrys, but he didn't try making any attacks of his own, and he kept yawning mid-move. 

“I hope I’m not putting you to sleep,” Percy commented, going for his legs. 

Jason deflected the blow and pushed Percy back, remaining in a defensive stance instead of going for the strike. “Nah, I just didn’t get a ton of sleep last night. I’m fine, though.”

“Ah, nightmares?” Percy said with as much sympathy as one could while simultaneously trying to decapitate him. 

“Nah, just took a while to get to sleep. Come on, watch your legs. Remember, you’re supposed to be fighting like you have a legionnaire on either side, you can’t stagger your stance like that.”

By the time Frank called for a break, they were both covered in sweat. Percy took off his shirt, and Jason did the same without thinking, taking a long gulp from his water bottle. 

From a few feet away, Percy whistled appreciatively. "Jason, did you get _mauled?_ " He asked, sounding absolutely delighted by the prospect. 

Frank moved closer and almost choked on his tongue. "Gods of Olympus, who _did_ that to you?"

Jason seemed to realize his mistake, but he didn’t rush to answer. He picked up his shirt as if to put it back on, but grimaced when he saw the sweat stains, and must’ve decided it wasn’t worth it. Either way, it was too late; both Frank and Percy had already seen the dark red hickies smattered all across his neck and chest. "What is that thing Percy says all the time? Oh yeah-- 'don't worry about it'."

“You look like you got attacked by a vampire with dull fangs,” Frank insisted. 

“He totally does,” Percy agreed, still grinning. He poked one of the bruises and Jason slapped his hand away good-naturedly, rolling his eyes. 

"Come on, don't act so surprised. Did you think I didn't get action?"

"Um, yeah?" Frank said. 

"Neither of us get any action," Percy agreed. "Seriously, who was it?"

"I'm not telling." 

"If you don't tell we'll be forced to guess," Percy pointed out. "Let's see… was it Dakota?"

Frank cackled, and Jason rolled his eyes. " _No,_ it was with a girl. Also, I think Dakota's straight."

"Dakota's a child of Bacchus, I think it’s genetically impossible for him to be straight," Frank said. "Okay, okay. Was it… Gwen?"

He and Percy both cracked up while Jason gave them a dirty look, shaking his head. "Stop joking around and let's get back to fighting."

"Wait wait, I've got another one," Frank said, already having to hold in his laughter. "Was it-- hehe, was it _Reyna?"_

Percy choked on his water, barely managing to swallow it before breaking out in laughter. "Good one!" 

Jason wasn't frowning anymore though. He leaned on his sword casually, and raised his chin in challenge. "So what if it was?"

That sobered them both pretty quickly. "You're kidding me," Frank said. He thought back to all of Jason and Reyna's interactions, the way he always called her by her first name, the way he sent her ice cream after that one War Game, the way he invited her to eat dinner with them, the way they were always having private meetings together… "Holy shit, you seduced our praetor!" 

"I mean, 'seduced' is kind of a strong word," Jason objected. "More like I found out that the woman who _happens_ to be praetor and I have a lot in common, and we enjoy each other's company." 

"I mean, she left teeth marks," Percy said. "That seems like a little more than just enjoyment to me."

"Oh, give me a break." 

Frank wasn't sure exactly how he felt about this new information, but he also acknowledged that this was the best opportunity to tease Jason he'd had in a while, and he was intent on taking it. "So, the other night, when you hung back after the meeting…"

Jason groaned. "Come on guys, you don't have to psychoanalyze everything. Let's keep training!"

"He didn't deny it!" Percy pointed out, delighted. 

Jason facepalmed. 

Meanwhile, Frank was just starting to get into the logistics of it. "So are you two like, a thing now, or--" 

"No," Jason said quickly, seeming glad to clear the air. "We're… flirting, and hooking up I guess, but we aren't committed or anything. It's not like it's official, and honestly I doubt it'll be for a long time. She's busy, and she doesn't really want to throw in a new relationship along with everything else that's going on. Which means that _I'm_ free as a bird. I could have hoes in different area codes if I wanted."

"The word 'hoes' is derogatory," Percy objected. 

"The word 'hoes' is gender neutral," Jason corrected. "Therefore, more inclusive. Also, I didn't call anyone a hoe, I just said that _if_ I wanted to, I could have--"

"You're right, let's get back to fighting," Percy agreed, and Frank moved out of the way before he could be caught in between them. 

***

As Jason and Percy were wrapping up their fight, Hazel made an appearance, cautiously skirting around the edge of the arena to join Frank. Normally, this next time-slot was reserved for him to use the arena in private to train his powers, but Hazel had asked for help with some basic weapons training, and they’d decided now was the best time. Frank figured Reyna’d forgive him for not doing his training if it was to help out their newest _Probatio._

A couple meters away, Percy and Jason shook hands, signifying the end of practice. Jason pulled his sweaty shirt back on and waved to Frank and Hazel briefly. “Hey guys, I’m heading out now. I have to shower before the Senate meeting.”

“Good luck,” Frank called back. Percy took another minute to get his stuff together, then came over to where Frank and Hazel were standing. 

“I’m heading out too, but first, Hazel, I just wanted to say sorry for that first day we met. I know it’s been weeks and all, I just-- it wasn’t my best moment, and I’m sorry for calling you that name, and everything else.”

“Oh,” Hazel said, looking taken aback. “Um… I forgive you?” 

Percy flashed her a grin, and Frank a thumbs up. Hazel turned, and Percy mouthed _see? I can make friends_ before jogging away. 

“That was weird,” Hazel commented, and Frank grunted. 

“Yeah, but that’s just because Percy’s weird. Now, what can I help you with?”

It turned out Hazel was having trouble with her armor, so Frank had her set it all out on the ground and went through each piece, showing her how to adjust the different ties. Once he’d done that, he let her put it on herself, giving her pointers. It looked like a couple pieces of her armor were too big, so they set those ones aside to replace later. 

“Are the forearm guards also too big?” Hazel asked, struggling to get them on.

“I don’t think so, they’re probably just not tied tight enough. I usually ask someone else to do mine for me, it’s just hard doing it with one hand.”

“Can you get them then?” Hazel asked, and Frank swallowed. 

“Sure.” He stepped in closer, and directed Hazel where to hold her hand as he tied the straps keeping the metal armor around her forearm. He’d been careful to only have Hazel put on her own armor, instead of getting in her space to help like he might do with a male demigod. From what he’d learned of Hazel so far, she got flustered easily, and he didn’t want to push her boundaries or anything. 

This was nice, though. Hazel held mostly still, watching as he tied the knots, carefully tightening them so the armor wouldn’t slide around. “Other arm,” he requested, and she switched hands so he could help her with the other one. 

“The Senate meeting’s today,” Hazel said eventually, breaking the silence. “I’m surprised you’re not there.”

“This senate meeting is actually just for the senators,” he said. “Which in this case, is just the centurions. And Nico, I guess.”

“So Percy’s not going?”

“Nah. Reyna could’ve invited him too, but he probably wouldn’t be very helpful in convincing the Senate of the peace treaty. I’m sure Nico will do fine on his own though, he seems to have a pretty good grasp of the whole camp merger thing.”

“I guess so,” Hazel agreed. “I’ll be interested to meet some of the Greek campers, when the treaty actually gets signed. Nico actually offered to bring me to Camp Half-Blood if this camp didn’t work out.”

Frank felt himself go a little pink. “Yeah, I remember. I overheard when… you know…” _I was stuck in pug form for half the day._

Hazel smiled, as if it was a fond memory. “Yeah. Well anyways, I’m getting more comfortable at Camp Jupiter, but I’ll be excited to learn about the other camp when the chance comes.”

That phrase _comfortable at Camp Jupiter_ spurred something in Frank’s mind, and he said “Oh right! Speaking of which, how’s everything with your narcolepsy going? Is it, you know, manageable?”

“It’s manageable,” Hazel agreed, a little bitterly. At this point, Frank had finished fastening her armor, and stepped back, giving her space. “Nico thinks it’s getting better, but I don’t know. I did figure out a couple things that help though, which is nice.”

“Yeah? Like what?”

Hazel hesitated. “Like… exercising is really good, because when my heart rate is up it takes a lot more to get sleepy. So fight training has been really nice. Nico also said he was going to buy me a watch that made a quiet beep every 15 minutes. I’m supposed to wear the watch during the day, and once I get used to it, if I doze off when I’m not supposed to I’ll supposedly hear the beep and wake up.”

“Huh, that’s really cool,” Frank said genuinely. “You should go to the library in New Rome sometime, maybe they have some more ideas for things that could help. Do you think a therapy dog would help?”

“Why, are you offering?” Hazel asked, giving Frank a teasing smile. “But that’s a good idea, I’ll look into it. I just hope I get over it soon; it’s bad enough that I can’t help when I fall asleep, but I usually dream during them too.”

“I’m sorry,” Frank said. “That sounds genuinely awful.”

Hazel shrugged one shoulder. “Thanks. We should get back to the armor though, I’m sorry for getting the conversation so off-track.”

“No worries,” Frank promised. He was actually pretty glad the conversation went where it did; he liked talking to Hazel. She always had interesting things to say. “Now that you’ve put the armor on, let’s see if you can get it off. I swear, it took me like a whole year to figure out how to do it in under ten minutes.”

***

That night at dinner, they all gathered around to hear Jason’s report of the senate meeting, which he referred to as a success. Though the senators had a lot to say, they seemed to agree that some action needed to take place, and were generally in favor of the peace treaty.

Apparently, Octavian had ended up an unlikely ally. Jason described him as arguing vehemently in favor of contacting the Greek camp and making peace with them. 

"It's true," Nico confirmed, leaning forward. "When I went to ask Octavian to support our case, he agreed almost immediately after consulting his arguries. He said he had been getting messages in his dreams and stuffed bears for weeks saying that something big was coming up, and peace was the only way. Like it or not, Octavian might be our biggest supporter right now." 

"I don't like it very much," Percy grunted negatively. "But maybe that's just because I don't like _him_." 

"Octavian's not the worst guy in the world," Frank said, thinking back to his experiences with him. His most recent encounter had been pulling Percy away from him before he could kill the guy, but they'd interacted a few times before. "He's a legacy of Apollo, not a full-blown demigod, which generally means he's not supposed to be very powerful. I think he has a lot of family in the city though. It sounded like he grew up with really high expectations; it's actually really impressive he's gotten as far as he has." 

"No kidding," Jason agreed. "Augur and centurian aren't bad gigs." 

Percy scowled. "I still don't like him. He's a jackass." 

"You just don't like him because he has even less of a filter than you do," Jason pointed out, and Percy put a hand over his heart, mock-horrified. 

"Jason! I can't believe you'd speak to me this way."

Jason rolled his eyes. “The point is, the centurians know about Camp Half-Blood now, and we have their support for attempting the peace treaty. Percy, have you recorded your video yet?”  
Percy nodded. Frank knew what video he was talking about; he’d been the one who filmed it. It took way more attempts than absolutely necessary because Percy kept losing his focus or getting sidetracked, but finally they’d gotten a take they could use. The video was Nico’s idea, and showed Percy alive and well, making the announcement about Camp Jupiter’s existence. _They used to trust you,_ Nico had explained to Percy beforehand. _Hopefully, by having you be the one to make the announcement, they’ll be quicker to agree to peace between the camps._

Frank wasn’t sure if that was the best way to go about it, but it would at least do the job. 

Now, seated on one of the couches in the dining pavilion, Nico turned to Percy. “Awesome. Once we tell the rest of the legion the news, I’ll send the other camp the video to watch. I’ll follow the day after to answer questions.”

Hazel frowned at her brother. “Why wouldn’t you just deliver the video yourself, and answer questions right away? That way people won’t get as much time to come to conclusions.”

Nico grinned, somehow managing to look absolutely delighted and miserable at the same time. “Because this way, people get time to process the information. When I come, they won’t have as many stupid questions to ask. Trust me, the fact that the Roman camp exists at all will be huge; the fact that Percy is alive too? It’ll be a madhouse.” He looked at each of the legionnaires sitting around the table, his gaze finally landing on Percy. “Do you have something to say to me?”

Percy sighed, and leaned back. “No, I guess not. I can’t exactly blame you for avoiding confrontation.”

“Pot, kettle,” Nico agreed. “Great. Get me the video later tonight. I’ll double-check with Reyna about it, and then we can get started.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was originally going to have twice the content, but by the time I got to that final talk with Nico, it was already over 4k, which is usually where I cut off chapters. Anyways, the next chapter will be coming soon! Lots of exciting stuff is going down :D!
> 
> In this chapter:  
> \- Paul's POV with Percy's letter  
> \- Frank reviewing the letter for Percy before he could send it  
> \- Percy trying to become Roman (including the "my mother is the goddess of periods" conversation with Jason, the new tattoo, and the Latin studying)  
> \- soft Percy x Frank conversation about Percy needing to be nicer and less flighty  
> \- Training with Jason and the revelation that Jason and Reyna have been AGGRESSIVELY FUCKING FOR WEEKS HOLY SHI--  
> \- Can we talk about that?? I'd like to talk about that. They've been having sex in Reyna's office for weeks. She bites him. Hazel totally saw his hickies too. Let's talk about this.  
> \- Hazel and Frank chatting and armor adjusting  
> \- Discussion of Senate meeting and Percy's video message to camp half blood
> 
> Please comment and let me know what you think! Have a great day!


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A note about the living rooms: there are two living rooms, because there are two halls we know of in the Fifth Cohort’s barracks. The first hall is the one Percy, Frank and Jason are in (along with other unnamed demigods, and formerly Dakota), and the second hall is the one Hazel’s room is in. Each hall has their own set of bedrooms and bathrooms, along with a kitchenette, and a living room with couches and a tv. Hope that clears some stuff up!

The announcement went as well as expected. All of the legionnaires were told "Hey, Greeks exist, and we want to be friends with them", and for the rest of the day the Romans did what Romans do best: they gossiped. 

_ Well, that's not really what Romans do best, _ Frank pondered.  _ Sieging cities is really what they're best at, but gossiping is a close second.  _

The point was, everyone had something to say about the announcement, and everyone else had a reply to share, and everyone else had a rumor to spread, so on and so forth, forever and ever, amen. Frank kept an ear out for rumors, but knew that in his human form, he wasn't exactly conspicuous. He ended up turning into a bird and fluttering around, listening in to hear what people had to say. 

When he was done, he flew back into the barracks, navigating through the halls to Percy's room, where the door was slightly ajar. He carefully flew past it, then changed in midair and dropped on Percy's bed with a slight bounce. "Hey, so I found out--" 

"Motherfucker!" Percy shouted, throwing a pillow at him. 

Frank batted it out of the way, continuing on full steam ahead. "--found out what people are saying about the announcement, and I thought I'd let you know." 

"You didn't have to give me a heart attack," Percy insisted. He clutched his hands over his chest like a Victorian maiden, though he was admittedly too frazzled looking-- and too boyish-- to actually be a damsel in distress. "Okay, fine. Tell me what you found out."

After the announcement, Percy had immediately retreated back to his room, not wanting to deal with people's stares. Despite that, he was probably desperate to know what the other campers were thinking.

"The good news is that no one really wants to declare war," Frank said, which sounded somewhat pathetic despite being genuinely good news. "A lot of people are concerned about this new development, but even if Romans in the past hated the Greeks, most legionnaires now don't have any personal vendettas, which I guess we have Reyna to thank."

"Right, with her plan about forbidding the word  _ graecus,  _ and all that."

"Exactly. So even the people who aren't sure about the peace treaty don't necessarily feel that way because the other camp is Greek, more just that the other camp exists." 

Percy nodded slowly. "So, hopefully by increasing communication between the camps, we can decrease their fear. People aren't afraid of Greeks, they're afraid of the unknown."

"That's what I think," Frank agreed. He searched Percy's face, looking for signs of discomfort, but for the most part he looked alright. "How are you doing with all of this?"

Percy shrugged lazily. "I don't know. Mostly I'm fine. Right now, things are still theoretical. It feels like we're just talking about another imaginary camp far away. There's nothing too… real."

_ For now, _ Frank thought. The plan was for the camps to interact with each other, possibly send ambassadors back and forth. He figured it'd start to feel much, much more real after that. 

Percy suggested Frank talk to Nico next, so he headed out. Nico had been on the stage helping with the announcement, but Frank hadn't seen him after, so he wasn't really sure where to look for him. He ended up walking towards Hazel's room, thinking he could ask her, only to hear a clamoring of noise in her hall’s living room, and then Nico's voice. 

Deciding he didn't want to intrude, Frank shrunk down to pug form and trotted in. 

The entire room was packed with demigods. The couches were past capacity, so most of the demigods sat criss-cross on the floor, leaning over to talk to their friends or watching Nico with interest. Nico was perched on top of the backrest of one of the couches, talking calmly, and sounding as if he was answering a question. 

Frank looked around, and immediately spotted Hazel on one of the couches, sitting against the armrest. Her couch was the least packed with demigods, and while everyone else was sitting basically hip-to-hip, she was given some space. While the camp-wide bias against children of Pluto was definitely problematic, it seemed to work in Hazel's favor in terms of crowd-control.

Frank was infinitely thankful he'd turned into a dog. He scampered through the room, carefully darting around campers and leaping up to Hazel's lap. He wasn't sure if his stubby legs could make the jump, but they did, and he circled once before setting his butt down, looking up at Hazel appreciatively. She gave him a suspicious look, then scratched his head and turned back to Nico. 

"--A really interesting place," Nico was saying. "Their curriculum is moderately different from Camp Jupiter's, but the important parts are the same. Just like us, their primary goal is to provide a safe place for demigods to grow and train. The camps are more similar than they are different." 

"But will they attack us?" A random legionnaire piped up. 

Nico pursed his lips. "No, not unless absolutely necessary. Camp Jupiter is stronger and more well-equipped than Camp Half-Blood. If it ever came to a war, they would be outmatched." It seemed to pain him to say, though none of the other campers really noticed. 

"So why the peace treaty?" Another camper asked. "Why don't we just invade and take over?"

"We'll be stronger as allies than as enemies," Nico reminded patiently. "If you want to think of Camp Half-Blood as an asset to use, fine. It's a whole other camp across the country with children of the gods who have their own unique powers and skills. If there's a monster that needs killing, that has a power no one at our camp can counteract, but someone at the other camp  _ can  _ defeat, we'll send them instead. Or, if Camp Jupiter gets attacked again like it did last year, we could call on Camp Half-Blood for reinforcements." 

He kept talking and answering questions, and Frank stayed, listening intently. Eventually, people started leaving, and before too long there were only a few other campers left. 

Finally, Nico shooed them away, and stood, cracking his back. "So Frank, what'd you think?"

Frank begrudgingly got up from his spot in Hazel's lap, which was devastatingly warm and comfy, and moved to the other side of the couch to turn back into human form. "It was a good talk," he admitted, shifting a little as he felt all of his now-human-sized muscles shift back into place. "I hope people get over the war-talk quickly, though."

Nico grimaced. "Yeah. The hardest part about arranging this peace treaty might just be teaching Romans how to play nicely with others. Invasion doesn’t always have to be the answer." 

Frank shuddered, remembering the dream he'd had of the previous attack on Camp Half-Blood. Nico gave him a knowing look, his eyebags suddenly seeming much darker. "Let's take a walk. Hazel, you good?"

"I’m good," she confirmed, and Frank gave her a small smile before he followed Nico out of the barracks.

***

Frank half thought Nico would take him around the building and beat him up, godfather-style, but instead he led him up to one of the hills surrounding camp. It was already getting dark out, since the announcement had taken place after everyone had already finished their activities for the day. 

They reached the top of the mountain and Nico sat down heavily, waiting for Frank to join him. Frank did, though it took him a moment as he was busy watching all of the grass around Nico collectively dying. "It must be easy for people to find you when you're outside, since the grass dies wherever you go." 

"Oh," Nico said, sounding genuinely surprised. He looked at the grass around him, as if just realizing it was yellowed and dry. He waved his hand, and it immediately grew green and healthy again. 

Frank's jaw dropped. Was this some sort of Pluto thing, the ability to kill and… un-kill? "How did you--" 

Nico looked inordinately pleased with himself. "Seriously, after everything you've seen me do,  _ that's  _ what impresses you?"

"I haven't seen you do that much," Frank defended, which was true. 

Nico waved away his concern. "No worries. For the record, what I just did was actually flower magic-- the magic of my step-mom, Persephone." 

"I didn't realize demigods could use the magic of their step-parents," Frank admitted. If that was true, who would  _ his  _ godly step-mom be? Venus, maybe? Maybe if Frank really tried, he could give some really great couples therapy or something.

"It's not common," Nico admitted. "But Persephone actually gave it to me as a gift. She didn't used to like me, for obvious reasons, but she grew somewhat… fond of me, after I started taking charge at camp. She's always had a soft spot for heroes."

Frank settled, getting comfy on the spongy ground. "How long have you had that magic, then?"

"Not long. I think I started being able to perform nature magic... hmm, maybe a few weeks after the war ended? I wasn't performing  _ any _ magic before then, I had a bad case of magic exhaustion." He smiled, like this was a fond memory for him.

They fell into a silence, watching the camp below. Frank thought about how Nico had talked to the Romans, referring to Camp Jupiter as  _ us _ and Camp Half-Blood as  _ them,  _ despite Nico identifying more as a Greek hero. He didn’t even have the SPQR tattoo. Frank got the sudden urge to hear more about this other camp. He wanted to know everything: how it was different, how it was the same. He wanted to know what had caused Nico to fall in love with Camp Half-Blood, as he clearly had. 

"Tell me more about the camp," Frank asked. "Not-- not just how they can be useful to us. Just about them in general."

Nico got a far away look in his eyes, and a sort of softness to his smile. "Camp Half-Blood is beautiful," he explained. "It has rolling strawberry fields, the woods, a canoe lake. There are tons of nature spirits, and every night we have a campfire." He went on to talk about the climbing wall, the amphitheater, the volleyball courts, the big house. He told him about the cabins: twenty in total, for the 12 Olympians plus 6 other gods, including Hades, Iris, and Hypnos. "Originally it was just the 6, but the Hades cabin was added about three years ago when I started going to camp full time," Nico explained. "The others were added after the Titan War."

"Why then?" Frank asked. Camp Jupiter had had a sudden influx of campers after their side of the Titan War too, though it had never made much sense to Frank. He'd ended up just writing it off as the Olympians feeling guilty about the demigods who died in the war, and trying to bring them back to their original numbers.

Nico looked down at the ground between his feet, expression grave. "The last part of the Battle of Manhattan took place between just a couple of demigods in the throne room of Mount Olympus. It was there that my friend Annabeth stabbed Kronos in his Achilles’ heel and he died. Afterward, the Olympians offered her a single gift in exchange for her service, and she requested they start claiming their children so they could get to camp safely. Not just them, but the minor gods too. If they had just done that from the start, we may have been able to avoid the war altogether." 

"That… makes a lot of sense," Frank replied. He found it interesting how Nico explained that, partially just that he had referred to Annabeth not as "the child of Athena" or "Percy's old girlfriend" but as  _ his  _ friend. Frank couldn’t remember if Percy had ever said anything about Annabeth and Nico being friends, but then again, Percy always had a hard time talking about her. 

But that wasn't what they were talking about right now. "So, after the war you had to make new cabins for all the campers?" 

"Yeah."

"Wait, that means that Camp Half-Blood is separated into cabins based on godly parent, not Cohorts," Frank realized. "How does that even work? Wouldn't there be huge variation between cabin sizes, with some being too small and some being too big?" 

Nico made a face. "Yeah, that’s exactly what it means. Don't tell anyone, but I prefer Camp Jupiter's cohort system. Here, people are allowed to just be legionnaires. They can be more than just their godly parent."

Frank thought about the way Nico and Hazel were treated at camp, and made a face. "Some of us can, at least." 

Nico laughed a little. "Yeah, they're still getting better about children of Pluto. Which actually brings us to what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Yeah?"

Nico fixed his gaze on Frank, expression serious. "Tomorrow, I'll be going back to camp to deal with the fall-out of Percy’s video. It’s a little earlier than I intended to leave Hazel alone."

“I could keep an eye out for her," Frank offered, perking up. He wouldn’t mind at all; Hazel was great. 

Nico sighed with relief. "That’d be awesome, thanks. Just keep an eye on her, make sure she’s taking the adjustment alright. And if she ever falls asleep when you’re hanging out… just be gentle. She gets embarrassed easily.”

"Noted," Frank said. He’d definitely already noticed the embarrassment thing. "I'll make sure she's alright, don't worry about it. Besides, it sounds like tomorrow you'll have bigger things on your plate anyway." 

Nico huffed out a laugh. "Yeah. Gods, I hate being the center of attention. Is it too late to run away to Italy?"

That reminded Frank of a conversation he'd had with Percy earlier, and he shook his head. "Man, all of you Big Three kids are flighty as fuck. Do you just really hate staying in one spot or something?"

Nico gave him a sideways smile. "You might be onto something with that. But actually, I think it has more to do with the responsibilities put on us. You'd be flighty too, if everyone stared at you all the time like they expected you to do magic tricks or something." 

"I mean, you  _ do  _ do magic tricks," Frank pointed out. "If hero-ing doesn't work out, you should go on the road as a traveling magician. I hear there's a lot of money in birthday parties." 

"Sure," Nico said easily. "Will you be the rabbit I pull out of a hat?"

"Hmm, depends. How much would you give me?"

"A 10% cut?" Nico offered. "I'd be doing all the work, you'd just have to sit there and be fluffy." 

"Yes, but my powers are incredibly exclusive. That means my services are of a higher value." 

"I'll just shadow travel a rabbit into my hat," Nico decided. "Cut out the middleman." 

Frank shrugged. "Don't come crying to me when you get rabies." 

Nico laughed, and Frank felt something warm in his chest. Huh-- maybe he got along with the son of Pluto better than he thought.

***

That night, it thundered so loud Frank startled from his sleep. He stood, and was surprised to find that he was shaking like a leaf. 

He was in pug form, of course. Logically, he knew that his sense of hearing was enhanced in this form, but still, the thunder sounded impossibly loud, loud enough to shake the building, loud enough to reverberate through his skull, loud enough to make his tiny dog heart pound in fear. 

He turned back to human form, and let out a sigh of relief.  _ From now on, I’m checking the weather forecast before going to bed. No wonder dogs hide under beds during storms.  _

Another round of thunder hit, still too loud to ever hope to sleep through.  _ Jupiter's mad,  _ Frank thought, then sat bolt upright.  _ Hey, I know a son of Jupiter.  _

Apparently he wasn't the only one with this thought process. By the time he got to Jason's door, Percy, Nico and Hazel were already clustered around it, wearing their pajamas and looking exhausted. 

Jason opened the door, rubbing his eyes. “I can’t do anything about it, sorry. I tried.”

“Try harder,” Percy said, pushing him playfully on the chest, and Jason just pushed him back, still rubbing his eyes.

“I don’t know about you guys, but I’m not going to sleep through this,” Nico said, and the other’s nodded. 

“Living room?” Frank suggested. 

They all went into the communal living room, and as if reading each other’s minds, Jason and Percy started pushing the couches together to make one big one. Once it was done, they jumped over the sides, bouncing a little. Frank shrugged and joined, landing next to Percy. 

Nico wrinkled his nose. “What are you guys doing?”

“Cuddle pile,” Frank said, thinking it was obvious. “Come on, join us.”

“That’s gay,” Nico said. 

“You’re gay,” Percy protested. “It’s only weird if you make it weird.”

Nico still looked unsure, but Hazel seemed too tired to care. “Honestly, I’m down,” she said, and clambered over the back of the couch. Frank gave her anm appreciative look as she started wrapping herself in a blanket by his feet. 

“Come on Nico,” Jason pressured. “Don’t be a loser.”

“Lo-o-o-ser,” Percy goaded. 

Nico rolled his eyes and huffed. “Gods of Olympus, you guys are the worst. I hope you all get eaten by stupid monsters.”

“We wish the same on you, my friend,” Percy said, then pulled in his legs so Nico wouldn’t step on them as he climbed over. 

They all get settled, until a few minutes later they were all a comfortable tangle of pillows, blankets, and bodies. Outside, the thundering continued, but it was much more manageable now, surrounded by friends. 

The lights were still off, and Frank’s night-vision had adjusted enough that he could see most figures and shapes, but it was still eerie every time lightning struck, illuminating the room. 

“Good luck at Camp Half-Blood tomorrow,” Jason said to Nico, taking on his serious-centurion tone. “I hope it goes well.”

“Me too,” Nico said, and they were quiet again. 

“Do you have lightning powers?” Percy asked Jason. “Because that would be awesome.” 

“Dude, shut up.”

“What does the Hades cabin look like?” Percy wondered. “I never got to see it. Is it like, vampire themed or something?”

“We’re not actually vampires,” Hazel argued.

“I designed it, so no,” Nico answered. “I’ll Iris message you when I get there, show you around.”

“I don’t know if I want that. You probably have a creepy collection of animal skulls or something.”

“Do not,” Nico defended. “Besides, if any one of us has a creepy collection of something, it’s Frank.”

“What?” Frank asked, surprised. “What would I ever have a creepy collection of?”

Nico didn’t even hesitate. “Big three kids.”

The others went silent. To his side, Frank heard Jason stir, as if looking at him. “You know, death-boy’s not wrong.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“He isn’t, though,” Percy agreed. “Frank, do you have something to tell us?”

Frank sighed. “Alright, you caught me out. I’m trying to befriend all of the Big Three children I meet so I can eventually defect from camp and take over the world. It’s a child of Mars thing, you wouldn’t get it.”

Silence again, and then Percy said: “You know, it would probably work. The five of us working together… we could do a lot.”

“Don’t get any ideas,” Jason scolded, and there was some shuffling as they assumably had a miniature kick-war. 

Lightning struck again, and Frank just happened to be looking in the right direction to see Hazel’s golden eyes illuminate in the light. 

“We certainly are a powerful group,” Nico agreed, seeming to be considering Frank’s joke more seriously. “We could do a lot.”

“You’re not allowed to take over the world either,” Hazel chided. “I just got back to the world of the living, I’d like for things to be normal for just a little while.”

Frank thought about the peace treaty, the sharing of ancient secrets, the war they might have on their hands. “I hope you get it,” he said. 

After that, it was quiet for a long, long time.

***

Frank woke up in the morning and stretched, surprised to find that he was in his human form. Then he realized that he was on the couches, and the memories came back. 

He propped himself up on his elbow and looked around him. It seemed like he was the first to rouse, and everyone else was still cuddled up, asleep. Percy was laying next to him, sleeping on his side with his head butting against Frank’s shoulder. Next to  _ him  _ slept Jason, laying half-propped up with pillows with one of legs brushing against Percy’s. Nico had somehow ended up asleep on top of Jason, head resting on Jason’s abdomen. Most wholesome of all was Hazel, who had put a pillow over Frank’s calves and fallen asleep with her head on it. 

Frank watched for a moment, wishing he had a camera phone-- this would be  _ excellent _ blackmail material, and was also just kind of sweet-- when Nico stirred. He opened his eyes, then realized where he was and forced himself up, disentangling with Jason cautiously. He met Frank’s eyes and said, very easily, “You never saw a thing.”

“Totally,” Frank agreed. “If anyone ever asks if I’ve seen you cuddling with the son of Jupiter in your sleep--”

“You’ll say that that’s crazy, and would never happen,” Nico agreed. His long black hair, normally pulled back in a low bun, had partially fallen out, and he brushed through it with his fingers, fixing it. 

“And if your boyfriend asks--”

Nico flashed him a grin. “Oh, I’m telling him as soon as I can. He’ll be jealous, especially when he sees what Jason looks like.”

“I don’t know what you guys are talking about,” Jason grumbled, eyes still closed. “But I get the strange sense I’m being objectified. Please stop.”

“Hye Jason, you spooned Percy in your sleep,” Frank said, teasing. He hadn’t actually, but immediately Jason jerked like he’d been electrocuted. “I was kidding,” Frank said, gently concerned. 

“Oh,” Jason said, laying back down. “Good. No homo, bro.”

“No homo,” Percy agreed sleepily, nuzzling Frank’s shoulder. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope no one's getting tired of domesticity at Camp Jupiter :') I'm trying to make the stuff happen as quickly as possible but there's other stuff that has to happen firsttttttt.
> 
> The next chapter will be up soon, I had to split this chapter in half AGAIN and I hate it. The last chapter could've been deadass 10k words. Fml. 
> 
> Anyways, the next chapter will be up soon-- hopefully before Christmas. Then, on Christmas day, you will get two exciting things: a new chapter with lots of exciting content ;);););) and a 2k short snippet posted separately that has more information about what happened to Percy on the Princess Andromeda!! Get hyped!!!
> 
> (Note: the snippet story is not a full-on expose explaining the details of Percy's captivity. More it explains one... specific... detail. It'll be juicy I promise.)
> 
> ANYWAYS you should comment on this chapter first so I get lots of love and write more content for you guys!! 
> 
> In this chapter:   
> \- all of camp Jupiter was told about the Greeks  
> \- Frank scared Percy by flying into his room and dropping on his bed (and then updated him about the reveal bc Percy hid immediately after)  
> \- Frank turned into a pug and vibed on Hazel's lap as nico told everyone about camp half blood  
> \- meaningful Frank x Nico conversation about 1) persephone giving nico magic 2) Nico's fondness for camp half blood 3) Annabeth killing Luke and asking the gods to pay their fucking child support 4) cabin half bloods cabins vs camp Jupiter's cohorts, 5)frank taking care of Hazel 6) their eventual magic show that will be going on tour summer 2021 (buy your tickets now!!)  
> \- also in this chapter:  
> \- it thundered and all the big three kids plus collector frank cuddles :((  
> \- morning cuddles
> 
> I also made an allusion to who Nico's boyfriend is in this chapter, let me know if you caught it!
> 
> Please comment and let me know what you think, have a great day!


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas ;) 
> 
> Also, just so you know, the additional short fic I wrote with this series is finished and ready, BUT I think this chapter is dramatic enough without it. It will be posted soon, I promise! I think this chapter is, erm, interesting enough without it, however. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Later that morning, Nico left for the other camp, and the wait began. 

Frank supervised Percy and Jason’s Roman-style fight training that afternoon, watching from the sidelines. Percy had been steadily improving at it, though a few minutes into today’s session he got frustrated with how much he resorted to old moves, and Jason suggested he try using a different weapon. 

“But… I’ve always used this sword,” Percy said, looking seriously conflicted.

“It’s just for one lesson,” Jason goaded. “What, afraid you’ll get your ass kicked?”

Percy gave in, and they switched to spear training. Jason helped him figure out the basic moves, which Percy picked up like it was nothing, and they moved on to light sparring, their weapons clashing against each other.

Percy had resorted to using a training spear, but Jason was able to continue using his magical coin, which apparently could turn into a spear if it landed the right way. When Percy complained about this, all Jason did was roll his eyes and knock Percy’s spear right out of his hand. It skidded away, and Percy was left weaponless. “Stop complaining and just admit I’m better than you,” Jason goaded, and Percy narrowed his eyes. He jerked into motion, and before Jason could defend himself he had stepped into his guard, grabbing the shaft of his spear and flipping sideways over it. He used his momentum to yank the spear to the side, and a moment later Jason found himself wide-eyed on the ground, the butt of his own spear against his throat. 

“You’re not  _ shit _ ,” Percy spat, and Jason grinned wider than Frank had ever seen him. He wrenched the spear to the side so it buried itself in the dirt by his head, then wrapped his legs around Percy’s, throwing him to the ground jiu-jitsu style, pinning him. 

“You’re still not shit,” Percy repeated, though he tapped out a moment later when Jason started squeezing with his thighs. 

***

After dinner that night, they had some free time, so Frank grabbed Percy and Hazel and brought them into the city to buy some new things for their rooms. Hazel hadn’t had a chance to go shopping yet, so she was still using all of the basic stuff provided for camp, and though Percy'd had the chance previously, he’d refused to take it. Percy had been at camp for  _ months _ , and his bedroom still looked like he’d barely moved in. If Percy wanted to stay at Camp Jupiter, he needed to start acting like it. 

"I don't need a new bedspread," Percy complained as Frank led him down the aisle. Hazel was on the other side of the store, shopping for herself. 

Frank ran his hand along a few of the folded quilts, humming. "Your bedspread is white. It's the standard set all campers get, don't you want something a little more interesting?"

"It doesn't need to be interesting, it needs to be warm. Mine's perfectly fine as it is."

Frank decided to try a different tactic. "What if you have a girl come over and spend the night? Do you really want her to see a boring-ass white bedspread?"

Percy tried to scowl, but his smile showed through. "We aren't allowed to have girls in our rooms, Frank."

"Hey, I'm not the centurion, it's not my job to enforce the rules. And somehow, I get the idea this is one rule Jason won't be enforcing either." 

Percy scoffed. "I can't believe the two of them got together. Reyna could do better."

"Than the son of Jupiter? Okay, I believe you." 

Percy got distracted looking at bedspreads, ending the conversation there. “Okay, fine, you’ve made your case. Which bedspread should I get?”

"There's a blue one over here," Frank said, but Percy shook his head. 

"I don't like blue."

"What? I thought it was your favorite color?"

"It was, now it's not. I'll get this red one instead." He grabbed it and tried to throw it in the cart, but Frank grabbed it from his hands before he could. 

"It's okay to not want to be Greek anymore," he reminded, keeping his voice down. "But if you decide you don't want to be Percy anymore, then we'll have a problem." 

Percy scowled at him, but put the comforter back. "Fine, I'll get a purple one. It's a compromise." 

"Great."

"Great."

Hazel reappeared then, subtly putting something in the cart. Frank caught a glimpse of it before it was hidden by a throw pillow, and without thinking said “Oh, you don’t need those.”

As if by the flick of a switch, Hazel went bright red. “No, I think I do.”

Frank pulled the pack of tampons out of the basket, handing them back to her. “Sorry, that’s not what I meant. I just-- I’m sure you need them, like, to use, just-- you don’t need to buy them. All demigods at camp who get periods are given supplies for free.”

“Oh,” Hazel said, frowning down at the box. “I’ll put it back then, I guess.”

“I’ll do it,” Percy offered, taking it from her hands. “I need to get something from that section anyways.”

Hazel watched as he walked away, carrying the box under his arm without trying to hide it like she had. “Wow,” Hazel muttered. “Things really have changed since I went to the Underworld.”

“I guess?” Frank said, though he didn’t really know what she was talking about. How much could things have changed in three months anyways? “While we wait for him, do you need to get anything else? Some throw pillows or something?”

“Sure,” she said, and they kept walking.

All in all, the shopping trip was a success. Hazel got some things of her own to spice up her room, and Percy’s room became 50% less depressing.  _ All in a day’s work. _

***

The next day, they finally got word from Nico. Frank was in the living room with Percy and Jason when the image came through, surprising him. "Oh! Hey Nico." 

"Hi Frank," Nico greeted. "I was going to call Reyna but I didn't want to interrupt anything... indecent. Oh, speaking of which, hi Jason.”

Jason groaned, hiding his face in his hands. “You weren’t supposed to know about that.”

“About what? About you hooking up with Reyna?” Nico said, clearly delighting in pushing his buttons. “Jason, I may be across the country, but even on Long Island I’m not far enough away to escape the gossip. Your little relationship is all anyone’s talking about.”

“Wait, so it’s not a secret anymore?” Frank asked. “Because I’ve really had to hold myself back to keep from talking to people about it.”

“What people?” Percy asked incredulously. “I already knew, and you don’t talk to anyone else.”

“I talk to other people,” Frank defended. “I talk to… Hazel. And Reyna.”

“I hope you weren’t planning on talking to Reyna about her and Jason’s hook-ups,” Percy said. 

Jason groaned. “Gods, no. She’d skin you."

Frank frowned. “Is Reyna doing alright with everyone knowing about you two? I know you were trying to keep it a secret.”

Jason sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Honestly, I think she’s doing better with it than I am. It’s a distraction, but she doesn’t mind people knowing. Meanwhile, everyone’s acting like I suddenly became a kept boy overnight.”

“Wait,” Nico cut in, “ _ Aren’t  _ you a kept boy?”

Jason threw his hands up in exasperation. “No! We’re not even dating, and yet people are acting like we’re married!”

“I mean, she  _ is _ the praetor. And she hasn’t dated anyone for as long as I’ve known her.”

“Yeah, because she’s the sole praetor of  _ New Rome.  _ She has better things to do than twirl her hair and pick roses.”

The Iris message started fading, and Nico cursed, tossing another drachma into the mist. “Sorry Jason, as much as I’d love to keep talking about your love life-- and trust me, I would, this is great-- I only have one more drachma on me and I called for a reason. Is Percy still there?”

Percy, who had wandered into the kitchenette for snacks, walked back over, climbing onto the couch beside Jason. “I’m here.”

“Good. Now, do you want the cabin tour or not?”

“I’d rather hear about what’s going on at camp,” Percy admitted. “It’s been days. Why are we just hearing from you now?”

Nico’s smile faded. “I don’t have any updates yet. The council has been meeting every day since your announcement.”

Percy looked about 30% sicker than he did a minute before. “Great.”

“The good news is that they’re more focused on Camp Jupiter’s existence than on you,” Nico said, in what Frank was pretty sure was a sympathetic tone. “I mean, part of that is because half of the head councilors never met you, but still.”

“Can you tell us anything else?” Jason prodded. 

Nico bit his lip. “Things are looking up. I should have an update for you soon. In the meantime, do you want the cabin tour or not?”

Percy acquiesced, and Nico started showing him around the cabin, which as far as Frank could tell, was all one room. Frank was a little confused by the set-up-- where was the kitchenette? Where were the bathrooms? The cabin couldn’t actually be  _ that _ small, unless it was completely disproportionate with the other, regular sized cabins-- but Frank decided now wasn’t the time for such questions.

Nico was in the middle of showing them the antique purple wallpaper he’d chosen out for it when there was a knock at the door. 

“Don’t come in!” Nico yelled. “I’m, um, naked!”

“It’s almost time for Capture the Flag!” A male voice called in, “And Travis and I still need your help on the trap we designed--”

Before Frank could stop him, Percy jumped up and swiped his hand through the mist, dissolving the image. He exhaled loudly. 

“Percy?” Frank said, checking in. “You okay?”

“I’m fine,” Percy said, not really looking it. “Just… I recognized the voice. I didn’t want him coming in and seeing-- well, seeing me.”

“It’ll happen eventually,” Frank reminded him, and Percy shook his head. 

“Maybe, but not-- not yet. I’m gonna go take a shower.”

“Don’t slip,” Jason warned playfully. “It’d be a shame if something happened to that pretty face of yours.”

“If I were you, I’d be more worried about myself,” Percy said teasingly. “After all, if I get ugly no one will care, but just imagine the commotion it would cause if Reyna’s little boyfriend got disfigured.”

Jason rolled his eyes and flipped him off. 

***

  
  


**Jason**

Confession time: Jason really hated being a kept boy. 

He and Reyna had been doing things for a couple weeks with no one finding out. They got to spend time together when they wanted to, got to flirt with no pressure for it to turn into anything, got to fuck when they were in the mood without it becoming some big drama. It was fun. But what  _ wasn’t  _ fun was people finding out and acting like they were already engaged. 

It bothered him way more than it should’ve, to the point where he actually started feeling guilty about it. After all, he liked Reyna. If things were different, he thought he’d be perfectly happy dating her. But he heard the way people talked about them, the way they delighted in sharing their private lives, the way they weren’t even surprised.  _ Oh, did you hear Reyna and Jason are together? Yeah, Jason Grace, the son of-- yeah, of course. No, I wasn’t surprised either. I mean, sure Reyna can be a prude, but he’s the son of Jupiter. Of course they’d get together.  _

__ No one questioned if they were a good pair. No one questioned if they had personalities that meshed well. All people cared about were the titles. 

Jason tried not to complain. He tried to move on from it, be the bigger person. After all, the gossip was neither insulting nor untrue. He just had to get over it. 

So, he started wearing his golden breastplate more often, liking the confidence it gave him. He trained harder, reminding himself that he was the son of Jupiter, and everyone expected him to be the best. He had to be the best, because if he wasn’t, then that meant he was a failure, and he couldn’t be that. 

He couldn’t help thinking about his life before camp, back when he jumped around the foster program, never staying in one place for long. He remembered sucking up to his foster parents, trying to play the part of the perfect son for as long as he could. It didn’t matter: inevitably, they found out something about him they didn’t like-- his dyslexia, his bisexuality-- or something happened-- a monster attacked, he lost control of his powers-- and they decided they just couldn’t keep up anymore. Then he’d go to another foster home, and repeat the process over and over and over again, until he had nearly aged out of the system when Lupa and her wolves found him. 

Now, with everyone’s eyes on him once more, he felt like he did as soon as he got to a new foster house. People looked at him and went  _ wow, he’s perfect _ , without knowing half of the things that went on beneath the surface. They thought they could look at his easy smile and practiced movements and claim to know everything about him. 

The perfect son of Jupiter, dating the praetor of Rome. What a power couple. 

What a joke.

Jason tried to take his anger out in his training sessions with Percy, only to find himself getting more and more frustrated the better Percy got. When they sword-fought, Jason always won because Percy had to focus on proper Roman form instead of going with the flow and trusting his instincts. But Percy had never trained with spears at Camp Half-Blood, so he had no previous knowledge he had to overcome. 

Jason hated to admit it, but he knew Percy was intrinsically a better fighter than him. Percy picked up spear-fighting like nobody’s business, an absolute natural. Within a week of training, they were evenly matched. Another few days after that, Percy was beating him, and Jason was gritting his teeth and trying to go harder and harder and harder, because he  _ had _ to win, he  _ had _ to be good enough, but he wasn’t. They fought until they bled, and still, Jason knew he wasn’t good enough. 

_ Percy’s been learning how to fight since he was a pre-teen, _ Jason reminded himself.  _ I should be allowed to lose to him! _

__ But he wasn’t. Because he was the son of Jupiter, and he had the weight of the world riding on his shoulders.

No wonder so many sons of Jupiter in the old myths went mad. 

Finally, Jason decided he’d had enough of this. He had to talk to someone about these feelings, or he was going to lose his mind. He decided to go back to the barracks and talk to whichever of his friends he found there. 

He didn’t even get inside before running into Frank. “Hey man,” he said, sighing in relief. “Do you think we could talk? I’ve been having this problem--”

Frank ducked his head, expression grim. “I don’t think that’s a good idea right now.”

Jason tried to figure out what this meant. He’d never seen Frank look so… disappointed? Mournful? 

Angry?

All thoughts of his own situation were pushed to the back of his mind. “Frank? What’s wrong?”

Frank just shook his head. He looked like he was trying to decide if he should speak or not, and after a few long seconds, speaking won out. “It’s a personal thing. It’s not your fault, and I shouldn’t blame you. I just need… space.”

Now Jason was starting to get really worried. “What? Did I do something?” A horrible thought crossed his mind, and he nearly pushed past Frank to get inside. “Wait, is this about Percy? Is he alright, did something--”

Frank’s anger seemed to boil over, and he shook his head, as if furious that Jason didn’t know what he was talking about. “No Jason, this isn’t about Percy, this is about the praetorship!”

Jason was drawing a blank. “Like, me getting with the praetor, or--”

“No, I can’t fucking believe-- it’s about you  _ becoming  _ praetor. People are worried about things with Camp Half-Blood getting violent, and they want our infrastructure to be as strong as possible just in case. They think an additional praetor needs to be appointed, and they want it to be  _ you.” _

__ “ _ What?”  _ Jason said. That was absolutely ridiculous. “Aren’t there rules for who can be praetor?”

Frank threw up his hands, like Jason was proving his point. “See? You don’t even know what the rules for  _ appointing  _ a praetor are, how can you possibly be expected to fill the role? It was enough of a scandal to have you elected centurion, but to be elected praetor--”

Jason could feel his heart speed up. No. No, no,  _ no,  _ he couldn’t do this. He wasn’t  _ ready  _ for something like this. “Why would anyone ever suggest  _ me? _ ”

Frank’s face twitched, like he was trying hard not to sneer. “They’re saying that if we want a strong pair of praetors, they need to be close. Some of our best praetor pairs in the history of New Rome have been couples.”

The chorus of  _ no no no  _ in Jason’s head only got louder. “Frank, I’ve only been here a few months! I can’t be praetor!” 

“Then tell that to Reyna!” Frank shouted, before pulling back, looking away from Jason like he found just the sight of him infuriating. “I’m sorry, I-- I should go.” 

Jason tried to object, say something to make Frank stop, but it was too late: Frank turned into a hawk, and just like that was gone. 

***

Jason ran to the  _ principia.  _ Normally he knocked when entering Reyna’s office, but today he barged straight in, surprising her in the middle of eating her dinner. “Oh, hi Jason.”

“Is it true?” he said, barely managing to contain himself. “Do people want to appoint a second praetor?”

Reyna’s lighthearted expression dropped. She set her fork down and stood from her chair, crossing her arms. “They do. And I’m going to let it happen; if the people of New Rome are doubting the strength of the current praetorship, it’s my job to relieve their worries.”

Jason nodded, barely hearing her response. Then he asked her the question he’d really come for. “You don’t want  _ me  _ to be praetor, right?”

_ Say no. Say no. Say no.  _

__ If she had any sort of emotional reaction to that, she didn’t show it. “All that’s required of a praetor is previous service to the legion in the form of centurion. You fit the bill.”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

Reyna pursed her lips. “It’s not up to me.”

“That’s bullshit and we both know it. Reyna, answer me.” His tone took on a particularly desperate edge, and finally, Reyna met his gaze. 

“I think, if you were to rise to the challenge, you would make an excellent praetor. And, more than that-- I believe we would make an excellent team.”

_ The son of Jupiter.  _

__ Jason imagined saying yes. He imagined becoming praetor of Rome in his first year of being at camp. 

_ The son of Jupiter.  _

__ He tilted his chin up, and used everything within him to keep his tone even as he said “That’s not what I want. That’s not what I want at all.”

“That’s alright--” Reyna started saying, but Jason had already turned, hurrying away. 

***

Jason didn’t have a plan for where to go. All he knew was that he couldn’t be seen like this.

He went back to the barracks, and was turning to go to his room when he literally ran into Percy. “Shit, sorry,” Percy said, grabbing onto his arms to steady him. Everywhere they made contact, Jason’s skin tingled from the touch.

“It’s fine,” Jason muttered. He just had to get back to his room. He couldn’t stay out here-- not where they could  _ see _ \--

But Percy didn’t let go so fast. He met Jason’s eyes, and must have seen something in them because he immediately asked “What’s wrong?”

Jason glanced around, wanting to explain, while at the same time knowing full well that there were people in the living room. Luckily, Percy seemed to realize the problem, and pulled Jason into his own bedroom, closing the door behind him. 

“People want me to be praetor,” Jason blurted out as soon as the door was shut. 

Percy sat down on his purple bedspread, frowning. “What? Dude,  _ I’ve _ been at camp longer than you.”

“I know!” Jason shouted, starting to pace. He filled Percy in on how Frank had confronted him, furious, and how he’d then gone on to talk to Reyna. He told him about Reyna’s minced words, how she’d been willing to all but hand the position to him. “Maybe I should just accept it,” Jason said, heart racing at the idea. “I mean, if people want me to--”

“Fuck what ‘people’ want,” Percy said, angry. “What do  _ you _ want?”

Jason thought about the foster homes, the changing schools, the lack of any structure or stability. He thought about the way it had felt to be with Reyna, like he was loved, like he was known. 

He thought about what it was like to fight with Percy: every blow connecting perfectly, every muscle in his body moving in perfect synch. He thought about the power behind Percy’s swings, the strength behind his eyes. He thought about the way they talked and taunted through every fight, pushing each other further, harder. He thought about the way it felt when Percy sat next to him on the couch, the inches between them charged with electricity. 

“It doesn’t matter what I want,” Jason said harshly, internally scolding himself. “I have a destiny. I’m supposed to become a great hero, like in the myths. That’s all that matters.”

Percy stood, shoving a finger against Jason’s chest. “Fuck your destiny, all those heroes died bloody deaths.”

“Then maybe that’s my destiny!” 

“Don’t be such a fucking idiot!” Percy shouted back. “You can do whatever the hell you want with your life. Just because you think you’re destined for tragedy doesn’t mean you have to actively seek it out!”

“Oh, is that your life philosophy?” Jason questioned, getting in his face. “Because the way I see it, you’re pretty fucking miserable too.”

“I’m depressed, not miserable, and  _ I’m _ actually trying to get better, unlike you,” Percy snapped. 

“I can’t control my fucking destiny! I’m the son of Jupiter, you--”

Percy stepped forward, so close their chests nearly touched, and sneered. They were about the same height, and once again Jason was reminded just how powerful of a demigod Percy was. “Go on, finish your sentence. Tell me I don’t get it.”

Jason faltered a little, and stepped back. “It’s different. Here, no one expects jack shit from you. I mean, hell, you barely even show up for your classes, and no one bats an eye. No one is watching you.”

“ _ Everyone _ is watching me,” Percy corrected, vicious. “I just don’t care. They want to look, I’ll give them something to look at. But you will never see me changing my actions to try and make ‘them’ happy, hear me? Never. And you wanna know why? Because I know it won’t do any good! I can work my ass off being their perfect little demigod, but I’ll never be as good as they want me to be, and neither will you!”

“I have to try!” Jason stepped forward, shoving Percy, but Percy just shoved him back harder. 

“You’re fucking wrong--”

“I have to be the person they think I am,” he pleaded. “Otherwise--”

Percy shoved him so hard he stumbled and fell on his ass, stunned. Above him, Percy stepped in between his legs, glaring down at him. “If you live your life trying to impress other people, you will die disappointed. I’d know.”

“You never died,” Jason corrected, and Percy raised an eyebrow. 

“Didn’t I?” He said, voice low. Jason thought about Percy’s past, how he’d nearly died in the fight in the labyrinth, how he’d been held captive for years, how he’d been hurt so brutally by an old friend. “Jason, all week you’ve been pouting about people treating you different for fucking the praetor. You say it’s because Reyna wanted it to be a secret, but I saw Reyna the other day and she was doing fine. I think the truth is that  _ you _ didn’t want people to know.”

Jason gritted his teeth. “I’ll become praetor. I’ll start dating Reyna. I’ll become the hero I was destined to be.”

“Nowhere in your destiny did it ever say you had to be with Reyna,” Percy reminded. He offered Jason a hand up, and surprised, Jason took it. His skin still tingled from the touch. 

Jason made himself let go, eyes darting to the door. “I should leave. This was stupid.”

“ _ You’re  _ stupid,” Percy corrected. “If you want to be miserable forever, fucking fine. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“You’re a shit friend,” Jason snapped, wanting Percy to hurt like he did right now. 

Percy barely reacted. “I’m an amazing fucking friend, you just don’t like being told the truth. So go, become praetor. See if I give a shit.”

Jason got all the way to the door before he froze, stopping in his tracks. This was what he wanted, wasn’t it? 

He tried imagining his future. He would become praetor young, start dating Reyna, eventually marry her. Everyone would watch him all the time, and he’d have a whole camp’s expectations to meet. He’d learn to be better: he’d get over his fear of his powers, he’d stop cursing, he’d tell people to follow the rules and mean it. He would never take a single step out of line. He’d be absolutely perfect. 

And he’d leave a childhood full of dreams in the dust. He’d do everything young-- get promoted, get married, get killed. He’d kill every part of himself that didn’t fit with this plan: the scared parts, the longing parts, the curious parts, the rebellious parts. He’d teach himself to be the husk of a person other people wanted, Jupiter’s golden boy.

And then-- after all that-- he still might never be good enough. 

He squeezed the doorknob in his hand. The room was dim, the only light coming from a lamp on Percy’s bedside table, and the leftovers of sunset coming in through the window. The room felt strangely humid, like by just existing, Percy added more water to the air. It smelled like the ocean. If Jason listened hard enough, he almost thought he could hear waves rolling against the shore, but that was just Percy’s laboured breaths behind him. 

Jason let go of the doorknob, turned around. Percy was pointedly not looking at him, a serious expression on his face. He didn’t say anything. 

“If, theoretically, I wanted to do my own thing… stop living according to other people’s expectations… how would I go about doing that?” Jason hazarded, still unsure if that’s what he wanted. At this point, he didn’t know  _ what _ he wanted, power or privacy, responsibility or autonomy, Reyna or--

Percy swallowed, and Jason watched the movement of his throat. Percy swiveled his head to face him, and Jason had to force himself to look up, meet his gaze. “You’d start by turning down the praetorship,” he said, voice steely and conservative. “Then you’d start living the way you want to. Ignore tradition, ignore expectation. If you’re destined to be a great hero, it’ll happen in it’s own time, in it’s own way. Until then, do what makes you happy. I don’t know what you need to do with Reyna, only you can decide that, but-- just find what makes you happy, and chase it.”

Jason bit his lip, nodding slowly. “Okay. I can do that.”

Percy looked away again, gaze dropping to the floor. Jason hated when Percy got like this, letting himself be cowed into quietness. Percy Jackson deserved to live life loudly, and every moment he spent looking like a stepped on puppy made Jason more and more furious. 

He walked over to Percy, because yeah, he wasn’t letting this go. “Just so you know, if I’m living for me, you better fucking be too. If you see something you want, you better take it.”

“Oh, give me a break,” Percy complained, rolling his eyes. “You’re so fucking entitled, you know that, right? It’s irritating as fuck.”

“Yeah, well you’re annoying too,” Jason said, secretly pleased with himself. Percy couldn’t be sad if he was angry instead, and if there was one thing Jason was good at, it was pushing Percy’s buttons. “Tell me, are all sons of Poseidon this whiney?”

“Son of Neptune,” Percy corrected harshly. “I already told you, I wanted to be called the son of  _ Neptune,  _ or is your head too full of clouds to remember things like that?”

“You’re one to talk. I think you skip so many of your classes because you’re too fucking dumb to remember when they are.”

“Maybe I’m dumb, but I whipped your ass in fight training today,” Percy goaded. “How does it feel to lose to a stupid guy?”

“It makes me feel sympathetic, because I know how often  _ you  _ lose.”

“You’re so pathetic, I bet you cry at romance movies.”

“I bet you jerk off to romance movies,” Jason retorted. “We both know how long it’s been since you got laid.”

“I could get laid if I wanted,” Percy insisted. “There’s no one here I like.”

Jason grinned. “I doubt it. You know what I think? I think you’re just scared--”

Before he could finish his sentence, Percy had grabbed him by the collar and yanked him into a kiss. Jason jerked in surprise, but he was tired of pretending to be perfect, and tired of playing it safe: he kissed back. 

Percy moaned against his mouth, and Jason wrapped his arms around his waist, pressing him flush to his body. “You’re  _ such _ an asshole,” Percy mumbled into the kiss, one hand on Jason’s arm, the other digging into the hair at the nape of his neck.

“Fuck,” Jason muttered, not even slowing down. “ _ Fuck.” _

__ He spun them around and shoved Percy back against the wall, kissing him even harder. He slid his hands down Percy's body and grabbed his thighs, hoisting him up and making Percy let out a surprised noise. “Motherfucker, you’re strong--” he said before diving back into the kiss, even more aggressive now. 

“I hate you so fucking much,” Jason grumbled. 

“Right back at you.” Percy ground against him, and Jason let out a little grunt of surprise, but if Percy was game to keep going, Jason was too. He hiked Percy up more, and Percy wrapped his thighs around his torso and squeezed like he wanted to hurt him. 

“Gods, I hate you,” Percy accused, breathing hard. “I hate your hair and your eyes and your entire fucking face. Everyone who thinks you’re perfect clearly has never looked at you for more than two consecutive seconds.”

“You spend a lot of time looking?” Jason teased, knowing it’d grate on Percy’s nerves.

“I wish I’d never met you.”

“You’re so fucking whiney,” Jason sneered, kissing him again. He pushed him harder against the wall so he could free up one hand, using it to push against Percy's chin and force his head back. “You make me lose my mind.”

He sucked a hickey onto Percy’s neck and the son of Neptune jerked, squeezing his thighs even tighter. “Fuck, for the love of Ju--”

Jason clasped a hand over Percy’s mouth, cutting him off before he could finish. “Percy Jackson, if you say my father’s name and  _ summon his attention _ when we’re about to fuck, I swear to all the gods I will  _ actually  _ kill you.”

Percy already had a stupid glint in his eyes, like he would throw himself into a volcano right now if it meant getting a serotonin rush. “Bold of you to assume we’re about to fuck.”

“You kissed me first, if either of us is bold it’s you. You didn’t even ask if I was  _ queer. _ ”

“I didn’t need to ask,” Percy bit out, arrogant. “I’ve seen the way you look at me.” 

Slowly, all of the anger drained out of Jason as they kissed and kissed. His thoughts cleared, and he was surprised to find he was giddy too. He wanted this, he realized. He’d wanted this for so long. 

His arms grew weak, and before he could drop Percy, he turned and dumped him on his bed, climbing over him. Percy laughed breathlessly, and Jason cupped his cheek, partially to keep him still, and partially just to touch him. Jason had deprived himself of this for so long, avoiding Percy’s touches, and now he couldn’t get enough of it. He wanted to touch Percy everywhere, get him naked, make him feel every good feeling this world had to offer, then do it  _ again-- _

“I really do hate you,” Percy panted, sounding like he meant the exact opposite. His cheeks were pink, his lips wet, eyes half closed. His hair was a disaster. This was a man who had killed hundreds of monsters like it was nothing. He had fought in wars. He had powers unlike any demigod had had in centuries. And now, here he was, looking up at Jason like he meant something. 

Jason wanted so many things. But right now, all he wanted was the demigod underneath him. 

“We can stop,” he growled. “Say the word and we’ll stop right now.”

Percy rolled his eyes, reaching up to undo Jason’s fly one-handed. He was… very efficient at it, and Jason was actually kind of impressed. “I really can’t stand you,” Percy complained, snapping the waistband of Jason’s boxers.

Jason rolled them over so Percy was straddling him, and pulled Percy’s shirt over his head. Percy took charge then, pinning Jason’s hands above his head as he kissed him. They probably could’ve stayed like that for a while, if not for their more…  _ pressing _ … needs. 

“I really hope you have lube,” Jason exhaled against Percy’s lips, and Percy stretched over him to open his bedside drawer, giving him an eyeful of his toned chest. He dropped a bottle on the pillow next to him, then got up to finish kicking off his pants. Jason opened the bottle, and frowned at the silver freshness seal that was still in place. “Why do you even have this?”

Percy rolled his eyes, climbing back on the bed and helping Jason work his own jeans off. “I got it after I found out about you and Reyna, and you said that thing about being free to fuck whoever you wanted. I figured it might come in handy.”

“You planned this, you manipulative little shit,” Jason said, delighted. Percy just shrugged, and kissed him again, letting Jason roll them over so he was on top once more. 

***

A good while later, they lay together in Percy’s bed, naked under the covers. Percy lay on top of Jason’s chest, his head right over his heart. His fingers were warm, tracing shapes along the side of Jason’s ribs. They were quiet for a long time, just enjoying each other’s bodies, the sound of their shared breaths. 

_ I am not what they want me to be,  _ Jason thought to himself.  _ And I never have to be again.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas! Also: holy fucking shit, I had to work SO HARD to get this chapter out on time (and yes, in my time zone it is still Christmas). But seriously. Goddamn. 
> 
> This chapter took somewhere between, I don't know, 15 to 20 hours to write??? I wrote scenes that ended up in the next chapter, I wrote scenes that ended up no longer being needed, I wrote scenes that I thought were good but weren't, I wrote scenes that took away from the energy, on and on. This chapter is 4k words and I wrote over 12k worth of content that needed to be sorted and either reordered or deleted. I wrote the entire scene with Jason and Percy fucking, like, 3 separate times. It was SUCH a labor of love and I hope you guys appreciate it 😠.
> 
> With that said-- yay!! What a chapter. God bless.
> 
> In this chapter:   
> \- Nico left for camp half blood  
> \- Percy started training with a spear instead of a sword  
> \- Frank took Percy and Hazel shopping for bedroom decorations ("but Percy, what if you have girls over!! They'll judge your bedspread!" Hits different now, don't you think?)  
> \- Hazel tried to subtly buy a box of tampons but Frank wasn't having it (poor girl just wants to menstrate in peace, but hey, at least reyna's looking out for her by providing free period products)  
> \- Nico's iris message with brief camp half blood update (aka, they've been having war council every night but they haven't come to any sort of consensus yet)  
> \- everyone knows about Jason and Reyna (look, the romans really do love to gossip)  
> \- Jason doesn't want to be a kept boy >:(  
> \- Jason's past in the foster program (and his current issues with trying to meet peoples expectations and be the perfect son of Jupiter)  
> \- his and Frank's fight   
> \- his and Reyna's conversation  
> \- his and Percy's.... conversation?????? That lead into insulting each other and then fucking. Oh yeah, also:  
> \- Jason and Percy fucking  
> \- yeet
> 
> Cool, while I'm about to pass out now, I'm like, barely coherent. Please comment and let me know what you thought!!! I'm expecting some delightful psychoanalyses of Percy and Jason in the comments!! If you celebrate Christmas, merry Christmas, and either way, i hope you have a great rest of your day!! :D


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you haven't read it yet, go read "Percy Jackson's Sex Life: A Review" !!! It's the length of about half a chapter, and you can find it here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28229157

**Jason**

Jason woke up the next morning with a stress headache. _ I'm so fucked, _ he thought instinctively, then reminded himself  _ no, no, this is fine. This is what I chose. _

He just had to be brave enough to commit to it. 

Jason laid in bed staring at the ceiling for a minute before getting up. Percy was already up, pattering around the room and getting dressed, and Jason took a moment to appreciate his shirtless form before focusing again. "Can you spot me a new shirt? Just something casual, like a Camp Jupiter shirt." 

"I can spot you a shirt, but not a Camp Jupiter one," Percy said. "I don't own any." 

"What? How?" 

Percy shrugged. "Just never bought one." 

Jason had like five in his closet. "Jeez, okay. Just any old t-shirt then." 

Percy gave him one, and Jason got dressed, putting on this shirt along with his jeans and boxers from the night before. "I'm gonna head out now," he said awkwardly. "Are we, um, good?" 

Percy gave him an amused look. "Yeah, I think so." 

"And to clarify, we're on the same page that this was just a hook-up, right? Like… this doesn’t mean we’re going to start dating or--”

He didn’t finish his sentence, because Percy was already rolling his eyes, waving him away. “No, we’re good. I knew it was a one-time thing before getting into it, I won’t be calling around for a part two.”

“I mean… I’d be down for part two,” Jason said, getting in Percy’s space and wrapping an arm around his waist. It felt weird to do this in the light of day, but he pushed past the awkwardness. “Just don’t, you know. Try to date me or anything.”

Percy hummed, not leaning into the touch. “We’ll see if you get lucky enough for a part two.”

It was Jason’s turn to roll his eyes. “Yeah, whatever man. See you later.”

“See ya.”

Jason left the room then, wearing Percy’s shirt with his own shirt from the night before fisted in his palm. He tried to put a neutral expression on his face as he walked down the hallway, like he hadn’t just fucked the son of Neptune and had a full-on identity crisis. One guy walked past him, but he didn’t give Jason a second look, so he must’ve been doing a good job.

He got to his room without issue, and quickly got his stuff together for a shower. He had slept in a little-- did Percy seriously not set an alarm?-- so he had to rush through his morning routine, finally getting dressed and heading out the door with his hair still wet. He started walking to breakfast, before realizing his error and changing course. Frank and Percy would both be at breakfast, and while Jason could probably deal with any lingering awkwardness between himself and Percy, he didn’t know where he and Frank stood. Frank had been pretty angry at him the night before, and though Jason knew he’d have to confront him eventually, he didn’t want it to be right now. 

_ Oh, fuck, Frank. _ Was Jason supposed to tell him about him and Percy? How would he even go about doing that, just say  _ hey Frank, by the way, last night I fucked your best friend. Yeah, you know, the one with trauma who you’re super protective over? _

Gods, Jason had fucked things up so quickly. 

Jason went to his first training session of the day, and by the end, felt a little better. He had a plan, at least. He had made up his mind the night before, now he just had to commit to it. 

He walked to the  _ principia _ and knocked on the door to Reyna’s office. She answered, and he entered, closing the door bashfully behind him and leaning against it. 

Reyna sat stiffly, acting every bit the professional, powerful leader of Rome she was. If she was still upset with him, she didn’t show it. “Centurion Grace. What can I help you with?”

_ Oh, nope, nope, she’d pissed.  _ Jason winced. “I’m sorry about how I acted last night. I was immature, and… panicked. But I was cruel to you, and I shouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry.”

Reyna blinked, and a bit of the iciness behind her gaze melted. She relaxed slightly into her chair, and sighed. “You didn’t listen to me. Whether you wanted the position or not, I would’ve supported you. I am not your enemy.”

“I know that. Forgive me?”

“I forgive you,” she said, and Jason nodded. 

“So, what are you going to do about praetor?”

She pursed her lips. “I still believe the right move to make is to appoint another praetor, temporarily at least. We will set a term limit of, say, three months, and once that term expires we can decide whether or not to renew it. It’s not completely up to me, but I think I will cast my vote for Octavian.”

Jason blinked. “Octavian? Why him?”

“He’s a powerful demigod, people listen to him, and we've collaborated in the past. Besides, he is already in heavy favor of the peace treaty. I think he will fill the role nicely.”

“I-- I guess.” There was more Jason wanted to say, but he felt like he had already spent too much time here. “Again, I’m sorry. I’ll… leave now.”

“Wait, come here,” Reyna said, and he went behind her desk, where she was standing. She took gentle hold of his chin, as if wanting a kiss but not taking it without permission, and Jason only hesitated for a moment before giving in, pressing his lips to hers. 

When they pulled back, still keeping their bodies close, Jason whispered “I have something else to apologize for.”

“Okay.”

“Last night… I said some mean things about you, when you weren’t around. Not publicly or anything, but to a friend. I was angry, and I was scared of what my future could hold, but none of that was your fault. I blamed you unfairly, when you’ve been nothing but good to me.”

Reyna hummed, considering. “I forgive you. Was Percy at least a good lay?” Jason took a step back, surprised, and Reyna looked at him like he was the dumbest person alive. “You don’t have to look so shocked, I already told you it was alright. Now is not the time for me to try and start a new relationship, what with everything going on, and if I can’t give you that title I won’t be expecting any sort of monogamy. So, was he a good lay or not?”

Jason felt his cheeks heat up, and Reyna grinned at his expense. “I think you already know the answer to that question,” he said, and she laughed. Immediately, Jason relaxed: Reyna didn’t laugh at just anyone, and if she was laughing at him, that meant he was actually still in her good graces. 

_ She’s really pretty,  _ the stupid part of Jason’s mind supplied, and he had to make himself refocus. 

“We had hate sex,” Jason admitted. “I think I still have bruises.”

“The bruises did help clue me in," Reyna admitted. "Just pretend it’s from training.” Reyna adjusted the sleeve of Jason’s shirt to hide one of the finger-bruises. “Is this his shirt?”

Jason blushed even brighter pink. “Maybe.”

“You’re adorable,” she said, and Jason was pretty sure it was an insult, but he didn’t mind. “So, if we’ve got all the bad feelings out of the way, are we still on for our walk tonight?”

“We’re on,” Jason confirmed. They’d scheduled the walk earlier that week, and Jason had planned to buy candles and flowers, make it really romantic. He was glad they’d still get to do it.

“Great. I’ll see you then,” Reyna said, shooing him off. She grimaced at the piles of paperwork still on her desk, and muttered “I don’t think I’ll mind having a co-praetor. Maybe I’ll even free up enough time to start a hobby.”

Jason gave her a quick peck on the cheek, and left her to it. 

***

He went to the rest of his trainings for the day, feeling a little ungrounded. It had been such a confusing 24 hours, and he wasn’t sure whether to be excited or worried. He was going to live for himself, not for others' expectations, and so far he’d done that. But he knew the guilt would hit soon enough. No matter how good his excuses were, he always felt awful after avoiding something he felt responsible for. 

He was also worried for another reason: he was supposed to have spear-training with Percy and Frank that afternoon, and he still wasn’t sure how to face them. He couldn’t stand it if things were weird between him and Percy, and he didn’t know how to address the fight between him and Frank.

Luckily, the opportunity never came up. Before lunch, a messenger found Jason and informed him of an emergency Senate meeting. He was to drop his responsibilities and make his way to the Senate House immediately. 

_ Here we go,  _ Jason thought, and started jogging. 

***

**Frank**

Around 3 in the afternoon, Octavian was announced as the temporary Praetor, and Frank was confirmed to be an  _ awful _ friend. 

Jason had been avoiding him all day, which was honestly fair. Frank had been actively mean to him the night before. He’d heard the rumors that Jason could be promoted to praetor, and immediately he’d assumed the worst. He’d thought Jason would agree to it, allowing himself to be promoted blindly to praetor after only months at camp. Worse, he’d  _ accused _ Jason of doing so. 

He wanted to apologize, but he couldn’t find Jason anywhere. He didn’t show to breakfast or lunch, though Frank learned later that he missed lunch due to an emergency Senate meeting. The centurians had been asked to vote for a new temporary praetor, and Octavian had been chosen, and if the rumors were true, Jason had voted for him. Jason had really never wanted to become praetor, and yet the night before Frank had all but screamed at him over it. 

Frank didn’t get a chance to talk to him about it, though, because after the senate meeting (which had gone on long, far longer than a simple vote entailed), a new rumor was spread. Camp Half-Blood had responded at last, and demanded three Roman demigods go to their camp on a mission of peace. 

There was to be a quest. 

Unfair or not, Frank’s feelings the night before  _ had _ been valid. He was tired of feeling useless around camp, watching other people go on quests and get promoted while he waited around and trained with no purpose. As soon as he heard about this quest, he perked up: this sounded like the exact sort of thing Jason would be sent on, since Reyna had already declared him the face of this peace treaty. That meant that the other two questers would be chosen from the Fifth as well. 

Frank knew, intrinsically, that this was his chance. He  _ had  _ to go on this quest. He also knew that Reyna would fight him on this, because there was no way Percy would be able to go too, which meant that if Frank went on it, Percy would be left unsupervised. Regardless, he thought that maybe, just maybe, he could convince her. 

As soon as he heard the news, he went to the  _ principia,  _ but Reyna’s secretary told him that she wasn’t back yet. Frank was confused for a moment, then realized she must still be in the Senate House, and headed in that direction. 

Inside the building was a semi-circle of tiered seats, where the Centurions typically sat during meetings. The seats were empty now, the meeting having already adjourned, but Reyna was still standing by the podium in the middle, arranging some papers. 

“Reyna!” Frank shouted, then remembered himself. “I mean-- Pra--” Reyna gave him such an annoyed look he decided to drop it. “I heard about the quest, and I deserve to be on it.”

“That’s rather presumptive,” she said coldly, going back to her papers. 

“I am the most senior legionnaire in the Fifth Cohort,” Frank said, flashing his forearm with it’s barcode SPQR tattoo. “I’ve been training for something like this for years. I may not be good with a sword, but I have other skills, and I deserve--”

Reyna grunted. “That’s not what I meant. I meant, it’s presumptive to think you  _ wouldn’t _ be going on this quest.”

Frank blinked, completely taken aback. “Wait, what?”

“Like you said, you’re the most senior member of your cohort. You have shown great strides in your training-- all of your training, including your classes. You are an excellent archer and can defend yourself in a fight. And, most importantly, you are kind. You get along with people, and are slow to anger.  _ That’s  _ the kind of person we actually need on this quest; after all, the goal is peace, not war.”

Frank felt like he’d been kicked off a cliff, only to find a million dollar bills at the bottom. “Wait-- so I’m going on the quest? Actually? But what about Percy, who’ll watch him?”

“Other people can keep an eye on him, but I don’t believe it is as necessary as it used to be. Percy’s therapist sends me regular reports, and while I wish they’d be a little more  _ detailed,  _ they are all positive. Besides, you are not at this camp to watch over another camper, you are here to become the best legionnaire you could possibly be. If I were to take this opportunity from you for such a weak reason, I would be failing my duty as praetor.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Close your mouth, for Jupiter’s sake; you’ll catch flies.”

Frank was still standing there, trying to put together a single coherent thought, when someone else came in. “Praetor, I found Hazel, but I couldn’t find-- oh,” Jason said, entering the room with Hazel at his side. “I guess you found Frank before I could.”

“Something like that,” Reyna agreed. “You three, stand at attention. I’ll be right back after I get some water.”

They did, lining up shoulder to shoulder in front of the praetor’s stand. Frank pushed his shoulders back, trying to have good form, and waited until he heard the door close behind Reyna to say “Jason, I’m sorry--”

“Not right now,” Jason said, and Frank nodded, letting it go. Maybe Jason hadn’t been avoiding him; he might not have even been upset with Frank. Frank did have a tendency of making things bigger in his head than they sometimes were in reality. 

Reyna came back a minute later, setting her hydro flask on the podium beside all of the papers. “Hazel, I trust Jason filled you in on your way here.”

“Yes, praetor.”

“Good. Just so we’re all on the same page: the three of you will go on a quest to Camp Half Blood, in Long Island Sound. This quest was requested by the Greek campers, and is supposed to be an act of peace. Your goal is to form connections with the Greek campers, so a strong alliance is possible.”

Hazel raised her hand. “Excuse me, but why are we going to the Greek camp, and not the other way around? Wouldn’t it make more sense--”   
“This is what the Greeks requested,” Reyna said sternly, sounding like she wasn’t very happy about it. “Therefore, as an act of  _ peace and allyship _ , we have accepted their demands graciously.” She paused, giving Hazel a considering look. “Hazel Levesque, are you confused about your presence here?”

“A little,” Hazel admitted, and Reyna nodded. 

“It is highly uncommon for a  _ probatio  _ to go on a quest, but in this case, I thought it’d be a good idea. This way, the Greek campers can see three different ranks: centurion, legionnaire, and  _ probatio. _ It is also beneficial that you already are close with Nico, since he will be working alongside you in the peace negotiations.”

Frank raised his hand, a little embarrassed. “When are we leaving for this quest? In a week, or--”

Reyna’s gaze turned to him, irritated. Whatever the answer to his question was, she wasn’t happy about it. “Tomorrow morning. You will take a chariot, and leave at 10am so you may arrive by lunch.”

“That doesn’t sound like a lot of time,” Hazel said, sounding worried, and Reyna shook her head. 

“It’s not,” she said, bitterly. “It is my belief that this was done on purpose. Camp Half-Blood is trying to catch us off guard, keep us from having too much time to prepare. It is absolutely vital that you do everything in your power to convince them to accept our peace treaty. It would not do to have demigods fighting demigods, separate camps or not.”

***

They spent the rest of the day preparing. There was a lot to be done, and packing was the least of their issues. They had to pick out which pegasus and chariot to use, which gifts to bring, which information to share. They had to talk strategies. They had to learn the correct decorum for meeting with an opposing nation on behalf of New Rome. They had to talk backup plans, in case everything went wrong. They had to prepare their armor (“Make Rome proud,” Reyna had said), and polish it until it was gleaming. 

For the most part, the three of them worked side by side in a conference room in the principia, with other centurions and campers coming in from time to time to help or give updates. Octavian stopped by, wearing his new purple robe that proclaimed his soon-to-be praetorship, and wished them luck. Dakota stopped by, giving them advice on being in the mortal world, and providing a pitcher of red kool-aid for if they were thirsty. 

Around dinner time, Gwen and Percy stopped by with food. Frank hadn’t even realized he was hungry until they showed up, but then he allowed himself to take a break from his work to eat. Gwen pulled Jason aside, talking to him in hushed tones, while Percy plopped down at the chair across from Frank, looking tired. “So, you’re headed to Camp Half-Blood. How do you feel?”

“Nervous,” Hazel admitted. “I still don’t understand why I was chosen for this quest.”

“You’ve been doing great in training,” Frank said, trying to encourage her. “I bet Reyna just saw your potential and thought this would be a good opportunity for you.”

Hazel didn’t look so sure, but she smiled at Frank appreciatively. 

“It’s true,” Percy agreed. “I saw you working with your  _ spatha _ the other day, it was really impressive. You’re picking up weapons-training as fast as any other Big Three kid.”

Hazel ducked her head at the complement, and Frank looked to her. “I didn’t know you chose a  _ spatha _ .”

“I did. I know it’s a little unorthodox, but I like it.”

“She’s good at it too,” Percy complimented. His gaze drifted over to where Jason and Gwen were talking by the door, but then he returned to attention to Frank. “What about you, are you excited to see the other camp?”

“I haven’t really had time to be excited,” Frank admitted. “Do you have any advice for, you know, dealing with the Greeks?”

Percy took out his ballpoint pen, spinning it around his fingers absent-mindedly. “Don’t expect them to be like Romans. The two camps are really different, and you won’t win their favor by acting superior to them. You have to meet them where they are, show them that you’re demigods too. And remember, no matter how they act, they don’t want a war. They’ll only fight you if they think it’s their only option.”

Jason came over then, settling into the chair on Hazel’s other side. “What are we talking about?”

“I’m sharing some of my infinite wisdom,” Percy said haughtily. “You want any?”

“I’m good, thanks,” Jason said, reaching for one of the containers of food in the middle of the table. “You gonna be alright here without us?”

“I might throw a couple hissy fits, flood the camp,” Percy considered, picking at his nails. “But that’s only if I get bored. As long as you’re not away for too long, we should be fine.”   
“Assuming things go well, we’ll be coming back to camp with three representatives from the Greek camp,” Jason said, which was news to Frank.

“Oh, in that case, stay as long as you’d like. We don’t need to rush any reunions.”

Jason leaned in conspiratorially, keeping his voice down. “Are there any campers we should be wary of? Ones who might intentionally cause problems?”

“No one stands out.”

“What about Annabeth?”

Jason was pressing his buttons, Frank realized. Percy narrowed his eyes. “Annabeth will gut you like a fish if you give her the chance. If you ever start to doubt her, start to think she’s not that smart, or not that capable, or anything like that-- run in the opposite direction. That means she’s plotting something, and you might as well throw in the towel right away.”

***

Percy and Gwen left soon after that, and the questers continued working for a few more hours until Reyna came in, around 9 o’clock. “That’s it, get out of here. You need to get a full night’s rest before tomorrow.”

Frank and Hazel got up quickly, gathering their things, but Jason lingered a little longer. Frank didn’t hear what he said to Reyna, only caught her response: “No, it’s fine. You need your sleep; we’ll reschedule it for after you get back.”

They went back to the barracks together, but Frank knew he wouldn’t be able to go to sleep for at least another three hours, so he found Percy. He wished they had War Games that night so he’d have something to occupy his mind, but they didn’t, so he had to get creative. “Hey, Percy. Do you wanna go watch an arena fight with me?”

***

Frank had only gone to the arena fights once before, when he had just arrived at camp. It had felt somewhat overwhelming then, and he didn’t much enjoy going alone, so he'd never gone back.

It felt different that night, though. Frank was older, with actual training experience, and the fights that had once intimidated him now intrigued him, even if they didn’t keep his attention for long. His mind kept wandering back to the quest, wondering if there was anything else he needed to pack, needed to learn. 

At least Percy seemed to be enjoying himself. He sat on the edge of his seat, watching as a legionnaire from the Third fought a Catoblepas and muttering under his breath:  _ "Go for the legs, no the other legs, not like that, avoid the horns, okay now-- jab!"  _

__ On Frank’s other side sat Hazel. Originally, Frank had just invited Percy, figuring Hazel would have no trouble falling asleep, but she’d stopped them on their way out and half-heartedly asked if she could join. Now, she sat slightly curled inward, watching the battle and fighting to keep her eyes open. 

Frank kept an eye on her, and saw the moment she finally succumbed, falling asleep. She started tilting sideways, and he cautiously put an arm around her shoulder, pulling her to his side. She didn’t even stir, just rested her head on his shoulder and exhaled softly. 

“He missed his chance,” Percy complained, still watching the fight. “If he had just slid underneath the monster, he could’ve used his knife…”

“Is this giving you anxiety?” Frank asked. “Because I wouldn’t have invited you if I thought this would make you freak out.”

“It’s not giving me anxiety,” Percy confirmed sharply. “Just interesting.”

Frank didn’t buy it. “Uh-huh.”

Percy rolled his eyes, and looked to Frank like he was being oblivious. "This is one of the first times I watched someone slay a monster without feeling like I had to help. It's… interesting. Like being a professional hockey player and then seeing figure-skaters. You can learn from their art, even if you think the way you do it is better." After that bit of wisdom, he turned his attention back to the match, leaving Frank wide-eyed because  _ oh right, I forgot how stupidly wise Percy could be. _

The fight below ended, and they all applauded as the hero bowed and left the stage. Hazel blinked awake for a moment, noticed that she was leaning against Frank, and must have decided it was okay because she just closed her eyes and went back to sleep. 

Before the next match could start, a guy Julius took note of them and started making his way over. Frank cringed, wishing he could turn into a finch and leave before Julius could reach them, but he held his ground. 

It wasn't that he disliked Julius. He was fine as far as demigods from other Cohorts went, but he was also a son of Mars, which made things a bit awkward. Unlike Frank, Julius excelled at close-range weapon-fighting, no matter what weapon he used. Frank had definitely compared them to each other more often than he'd like to admit. 

"Hey, Frank!" Julius said, grinning at them. He joined them on the bleachers, still standing and probably blocking multiple people's views with his giant frame. "I’m surprised to see you here, don’t you have a quest to prepare for?”   
“Reyna kicked us out,” Frank admitted. “We’re mostly ready, though. All that’s left to do is wait.”

Julius nodded seriously. “Yeah man, I hear that. You’re both going, right?”

Frank looked down at Hazel, who was breathing quietly out of her nose. “Yeah, we both are. But uh, Percy’s staying here.”

"Oh, hey Percy," Julius greeted, a little uncomfortable. Percy gave him a disinterested wave before turning back to the show. "Well, that's awesome. And you’re checking out the monster fights, that’s great. In my opinion, there's no better training than actually getting your hands dirty, but a lot of people underestimate the benefits of watching and learning from other people. I'm here for most fights-- I help coordinate them." 

"Coordinate them?" Frank asked.

"Yeah, there's a lot of behind the scenes work that goes into it. First we have to get the monsters, which we usually do by sending small quests across the country to places we know have had infestations. Then, once we have them, we have to get people to sign up for battles, plus lifeguards."

Percy turned to look at him now, suddenly interested. "What do you need lifeguards for?"

"This isn't the old times, as much as some people'd like to think they are. We need backup for the fighters in the arena, in case they get hit or overestimate their abilities. We have lifeguards on the side-- other heroes, with powers that allow them to step in if the demigods fighting get hurt. Look, you can see them over on the side there." 

Frank looked where he pointed, and saw a pair of people in blue polo shirts sitting on a raised pedestal, watching the fight intently.

Percy's voice surprised him. "Do you need more?"

Julius gave him an uncertain look. "Why, are you offering?"

"I have powers. If you need more people…" 

Julius considered this, then nodded. "You know what, that's not a bad idea. You'll have to get Reyna's approval, though."

Percy rolled his eyes. "I'm not actually crazy."

"I didn't say you were. Just get the praetor's approval, and the job is yours." 

Once he left, Frank nudged Percy gently. “You want to watch over the arena fights?”

Percy shrugged. “I need to start training my powers anyways. Might as well do it in a way that’s helpful. Plus, it’ll give me something to do while you guys are gone.”

“I guess so,” Frank said, shrugging. Julius had said Percy would need Reyna’s approval, but based on their conversation earlier that day, Frank already knew he’d get it. 

He remembered what Reyna had told him, how if she were to keep a legionnaire from getting the opportunity to use their training, she was failing her duty as praetor. He realized, belatedly, that he’d underestimated Reyna. She was a little coarse sometimes, and pushed people harder than they might have chosen for themselves, but she really did work hard to do what was best for every single legionnaire. Frank really admired her for it. 

***

The next morning, they spent a few final hours getting ready, and then all of a sudden, it was time to go. Their chariot was packed, and they were all wearing their finest armor, sine helmets. Frank had helped Hazel with her arm greaves, and she’d helped him with his, but Jason was already dressed when they found him outside. 

Reyna gave them one last talk before they loaded up in the chariot. Though there was a bit of a crowd gathered around them, she kept her voice low, so only the three questers could hear. “You can take your armor off when you think it’s appropriate, but keep your weapons on you at all times,” she advised. “Do everything you can to get them to agree to the treaty. Work until the last minute, but if things go badly, and the Greeks decide they’d prefer you as enemies, I want your primary objective to be to evade and retreat. Frank, use your shape-shifting, Jason, your winds. Hazel..." Hazel ducked her head, and Reyna waited until she looked up again, meeting her gaze. "I don't know what your powers are, but I know you have them. If you think they will be useful-- and that you can  _ contain them _ \-- then by all means, use them. Otherwise, stick close to Jason, and he'll fly you out of there." 

"Yes, praetor."

Reyna tapped on Hazel’s chest, right over where her  _ probatio _ tablet hung subtly under her shirt. "Remember, this is your opportunity to prove yourself to the legion, and join it fully, no longer as a  _ probatio _ . I believe you won't disappoint me." There was something intensely maternal in her gaze as she spoke to her. 

Hazel agreed, and Reyna looked to Frank, then Jason. “You should have enough drachmas packed for quite a few Iris messages, but use them sparingly. Remember, you want to show the Greeks that we can be their friends, it won’t do any good to make them feel reported on.”

With that, she dismissed them, giving Frank a curt nod, and clasping Jason’s hand for a brief moment before moving on. Frank got the impression she wanted to do more, maybe pull Jason aside for a moment of privacy, but there were campers everywhere, and they’d had enough gossip for one week. “You will make New Rome proud,” Reyna said finally, and dismissed them to their waiting chariot. 

Before they climbed in, they had one final person to talk to. Percy was waiting for them, leaning against his sword casually. “Have a safe flight,” he said, tone teasing even if he wasn’t smiling. 

“We’ll do our best,” Hazel said, looking at the chariot nervously. “It should be mentioned that I don’t feel  _ great _ about flying…”

Frank looked back at the open-backed chariot, realizing what she meant: it was unlikely he or Jason would fall out, but she was at risk of falling asleep, even hundreds of feet in the air. “You can stand in the front,” he suggested, and she nodded. 

Percy looked between them, as if trying to figure out what they knew that he didn’t. Frank realized, belatedly, that Hazel still hadn’t told him or Jason about her sleeping problems. They should probably remedy that, at least with Jason. 

Percy tilted his head to the side, apparently giving up on figuring it out. “If you’re worried about Jupiter blasting you out of the sky, you should be fine. It’s unlikely he’ll cause any problems with his son in the same chariot as you.”

“That is… good to know,” Hazel said, looking up at the sky. She seemed to have realized she had more than one reason to dislike flying.

“You’ll do great,” Percy encouraged, giving her a knuckle punch. “And Frank… thanks for being such a great best friend. Stay safe.”

“Yeah, you too,” Frank said, feeling himself choke up a little. He pulled Percy into a hug, squeezing him tightly. 

When Percy pulled back, he looked at Jason, giving him a meaningful look. “Do you want a hug too, or..?”

Jason glanced back at where Reyna was standing, conferring with Octavian about something. He raised his eyebrows, and they seemed to have a silent conversation, then he looked back at Percy, who was watching with interest. “Oh, fuck it,” he said decidely, and dipped Percy in a kiss. 

Beside him, Hazel gasped. Frank was pretty sure he lost about 10 years off his life from shock. Campers chattered, a mixture of confused and excited. 

Jason straightened, making sure Percy was steady before letting go. His cheeks were bright pink, and both of them were smiling giddily. “Have fun with that,” Jason said, then climbed into the chariot. Frank and Hazel climbed in too, and Percy went around to the front, patting one of the pegasi on the flank. “You know what to do,” he said to them, and they whinied and took off.

Frank looked down at camp below them, slowly retreating from their vision as the pegasi gained speed. It took him almost a full thirty seconds to figure out how to say words again, and then he looked at Jason, who was still smiling softly. “Hey, Jason, one question,” Frank said, wondering if he was hallucinating or if that little display back there had actually happened. “What the  _ fuck?!” _

Jason just threw his head back and laughed. “I wanted to give people something to gossip about,” he said playfully, as if that were an actual answer. “To Camp Half-Blood we go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter:   
> \- Jason did the walk of shame  
> \- Jason/Reyna talking and apologies (and, yeah, that's right, Reyna knows about Percy and is down)  
> \- Avoiding frank and emergency Senate meeting   
> \- Frank's POV and Octavian getting elected temporary praetor  
> \- Frank talking with Reyna about why he deserved to be let off babysitting duty to go on the quest   
> \- preparing for the quest!!!  
> \- arena fight  
> \- goodbyes :') also jercy ONLY wants to cause drama, ALWAYS
> 
> I hope you guys liked this chapter!! Shoutout to everyone trying to figure out the love triangle nonsense-- good luck, you'll need it 😂 This is the way I date in real life so I think it makes a ton of sense, but my girlfriend thinks otherwise. Monogamy isn't _real_.
> 
> Also, they're going to camp!! Camp Half-Blood is going to be a Fun Time you guys. I have plans for everything that's going to go down, but I'd love to hear what sort of things you want to see! Any character pairings/activities you want to see?
> 
> Additionally, Piper may or may not be at camp... ;) She will be pretty OOC though, like Jason, because you know, fuck that. So please let me know what things you liked about her, and what things you didn't! 
> 
> Comment and let me know what you thought, and have a great day!


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introduction to Camp Half-Blood

The chariot ride took about an hour. The first part was spent mostly quiet, with the three of them talking from time to time. Hazel told Jason about her narcolepsy at Frank’s request, agreeing that it was probably good that he knew too, just in case. Jason looked a little concerned, but agreed, and said he’d help keep an eye out for her.

Though Hazel tried to stay awake, eventually her eyes started drooping. She stumbled a little, and Frank helped right her, gritting his teeth as he thought of the intense drop below them. “Why don’t you sit down? You might as well nap, there’s nothing else to do.”

“Alright,” Hazel agreed, probably deciding she wouldn’t be able to fend off this round of drowsiness. She curled up at the front of the chariot, arms cuddled close to her body, and closed her eyes. Frank and Jason adjusted their leg positioning, letting them act as barriers to keep her from sliding off. 

They were quiet for a little longer before Frank sighed, deciding he couldn’t hold onto this for any longer. “I know you said not to worry about it, but… I’m really sorry about the way I talked to you the other day. I thought you wanted to be praetor, and I thought it was unfair, and… it was kind of a personal thing. You didn’t do anything wrong, and even if you had, it still wasn’t right of me to yell at you.”

Jason looked down at his shoes, biting his lip. “Thanks. I appreciate that.”

Frank let out a breath. Jason hadn’t seemed especially upset about Frank’s freakout, but he still felt the need to apologize, and now he felt a lot better, regardless of whether or not it had an impact on Jason. “So… are we good?”

“We’re good,” Jason confirmed, looking back up at the sky ahead of them. “It’s good to have that behind us. We need to have each other’s backs for this quest.”

“Agreed.” Another thought presented itself to Frank, and he hesitated, not sure if it was appropriate, but eventually curiosity won out. “So, you and Percy--”

Jason stifled a smile, side-eying Frank. “Yeah? What about it?”

Frank shrugged, smiling too. “He didn’t seem very surprised when you kissed him. Do you have something to tell me?”

Jason peered down at Hazel, as if making sure she was asleep, then said “We may have done a little more than kiss the other night. It’s no big deal--” 

“It better not be,” Frank agreed. “I refuse to become a third wheel.”

Jason laughed. “I wouldn’t worry too much about it. Besides, I’m still trying to make things work with Reyna. I figured, even if I date her, I don’t have to act a certain way, you know? Like, I don’t have to play nice just because I’m dating the praetor. If she has a problem with me, we can talk about it, but until then, I don’t have to act in a certain way.”

_Had_ Jason been acting weird? Frank wondered. He’d seemed a little tense ever since people found out about him and Reyna, but this seemed like a little more than just that. “This something you think about a lot?”

“I guess. But I’m getting better at it.”

Frank hesitated, then patted Jason on the shoulder awkwardly. Jason turned to look at him, surprised. “That’s good,” Frank praised. “We could all do with being a little less self-conscious. I used to feel really shitty about being a son of Mars who did better with a bow than a sword, but I don’t mind it so much anymore. I hope you can do the same with your Jupiter stuff.”

“Thanks,” Jason said, his voice breaking slightly. He cleared his throat, and the conversation ended there. 

They were silent for the rest of the ride, just thinking and watching the sky. Frank’s mind started wandering back to the whole “Percy and Jason having sex” thing, but he quickly pushed those thoughts aside. That was something he could accept vaguely, but it was probably better not to think too hard about. He could process it later-- preferably _after_ the potentially enemy-creating danger quest. 

He was watching the skyline boredly when he noticed something below them, and straightened. “Jason, check that out.”

The pegasi started turning, circling the camp below. Frank crouched and shook Hazel’s shoulder gently, heart pounding. “Hazel, Hazel. We’re here.”

She woke, looking a little startled, then stumbled to her feet to look over the edge. “Oh, _wow._ ”

Frank felt pretty much the same. He could add ‘Camp Half-Blood’ to the list of Things He Couldn’t Process. 

First of all, it was beautiful. The strawberry fields were huge, going on endlessly, along with the woods and the lake. In the middle of them all sat the camp, a sporadic mix of buildings and nature. Frank had seen it once before in his dreams, but it was even more gorgeous in real life. It also helped that right now, the camp seemed to be operating pretty normally, as opposed to being in the middle of a war. Frank also noticed there were a lot more buildings now, which was probably due to the additional cabins Nico had talked about. 

“It’s beautiful,” Hazel commented, expression soft. 

Jason inhaled deeply. “Alright. Let’s go make some friends.”

The pegasi whinnied, and dove downward.

***

One thing to note about riding a chariot pulled by pegasi: the landings aren’t exactly gentle. Jason helped steer them, but in the end they landed with a painful jolt, the pegasi’s hooves hitting the ground a full moment before the chariot’s wheels contacted. There was still a bunch of momentum, so the pegasi ended up running another 50 meters, nearly mowing down a few demigods in the process, who yelled and cussed at them appropriately. 

When they finally came to a stop, Frank had to unclench his fingers from the railing. A few campers who were milling around stopped to look at them, but most didn’t stick around, hurrying off in different directions like they had some _really_ pressing laundry to fold. Frank exchanged a concerned look with Hazel, but Jason dismounted, so they followed. 

Thankfully, a welcoming committee approached them, consisting of Nico Di Angelo, a pretty girl who looked like she might be Cherokee, and a guy with blond curly hair. The blond guy looked vaguely familiar, and Frank stopped mid-step when he realized why: he was the medic from the dream. 

Neither Jason nor Hazel slowed down, so Frank had to jog a little to catch up. He tried not to stare at the guy, but he couldn’t help it. He remembered seeing his desperate expression as he packed the dying camper’s wounds, the way he’d looked so devastated when Nico told him to move on to help someone else. He remembered the way he had grabbed Castor’s hand, squeezing it tightly. _“You’ve been a good friend.”_

“Hey guys, good to see you made it in one piece,” Nico greeted, shaking Jason’s hand casually. “This is Piper, daughter of Aphrodite, and Will, nonbinary child of Apollo.”

“I still go by he/him pronouns, though,” Will greeted. “Or they/them, whichever you prefer. I’ve only recently come out, so I’m still trying different things out.”

“Nice to meet you,” Hazel said, shaking his hand. Once he moved on to shake Jason’s hand, she glanced at Nico. “You’ll--”

“--Explain pronouns later,” Nico agreed quietly. 

Will shook Frank’s hand next, and Frank forced himself to push all thoughts of the dream out of his mind so he could actually be friendly and normal.

“And you’re Piper?” Jason guessed, and the pretty girl nodded, stepping forward to shake his hand too. “Child of Aphrodite-- that’s Venus, right?”

“Wow, you’re smart too,” Piper said, and Jason blinked, as if not sure what to do with that comment. Piper shook Hazel’s hand, winking briefly like they were sharing a secret, and then moved on to Frank. She held his hand for a moment too long, her hands soft and warm. “Has anyone ever told you you’ve got a really firm grip? It must be from all that archery, huh?”

Frank felt his heartbeat jump for a moment, wondering if she’d actually just looked into his head and read everything about him, like it felt. Then he realized-- dumbly-- he still had his bow over his shoulder. _Obviously_ he was an archer. 

He couldn’t remember what she’d asked. Her eyes seemed to shift in the light, drifting between different hues magestically. It was absolutely memorizing, and that _smile._ She giggled a little, like was laughing at a joke he hadn’t yet shared. 

“Uhh,” Frank said, and Hazel not-so-subtly stepped on his toes. He snapped out of it, and made himself look at her eyebrows instead of her eyes. “Yeah, totally. Yeah.”

When he looked back over, Nico was shooting Piper an unreadable look. “ _Anyways._ Guys, this is Jason, son of Jupiter, Frank, son of Mars, and my sister Hazel-- daughter of Pluto.”

Jason looked around. “Is there a leader we’re supposed to meet, or--”

“Chiron had to get back to work, but he’s been alerted that you’re here,” Nico said, sounding unnaturally-diplomatic. “We’ll meet him at the Big House. Do you want to grab your stuff?”

***

They unloaded the chariot, and though they let the Greek campers help with some stuff, they all kept their own bags and weapons on their bodies. Frank was careful to avoid meeting Piper’s eyes as he handed her a bag of scrolls to carry.

They walked together across the camp, staying mostly quiet. Frank kept close to Hazel, not liking this. This wasn’t the sort of welcome they’d been expecting; where were the crowds? Where was the ceremony? Why wasn’t their leader, this Chiron guy, waiting for them? 

If Jason was surprised, he didn’t show it. He walked at the front of the group, standing tall and marching as if the praetor herself was watching him and insulting his form. Nico moved to walk beside him, and if he strained his ears, Frank could just hear Nico hiss “You guys are _late._ ”

Jason didn’t physically betray any emotions, but his voice held some surprise. “We were only in flight for about an hour, and we left at 10.”

“You forgot about timezones,” Nico scolded. “It’s 2pm here. You’re three hours late.”

“Oh. Well, we would’ve made sure to calculate that into our plans if we’d had more than 16 hours to plan this quest.”

“Trust me, that wouldn’t have been my choice,” Nico grumbled. “The council decided it’d be for the best.”

Will fell into step with Frank, shoving his hands in his pockets. “So, did you have a good ride?”

“It was fine,” Frank answered, distracted. There were campers scattered everywhere, and most of them were watching their little procession while pretending not to. It was unnerving; Romans were much more upfront about their voyeurism. 

“Do you like being a child of Mars?” Will asked, and Frank blinked. _He’s trying to make conversation,_ his mind supplied, and he immediately felt guilty, and put in an effort to respond. 

“Um, sure. What about you, do you like being a child of Apollo?” Frank _was_ a little jealous of that, even though he was moderately happy with his godly parent at this point. 

“Yeah, totally,” Will answered blandly, and the conversation died. 

A minute later, they arrived at what Nico had called the ‘Big House’. It was, as expected, a Big House, painted sky blue with white trim. They climbed the stairs to the white wrap-around porch when a man walked out of the front door-- wait, nope, that was a centaur. 

Frank glanced at Will, trying to determine if this was cause for concern, but Will didn’t look surprised, so he assumed this must have been a normal occurrence. 

“Chiron, these are the ambassadors from Camp Jupiter,” Nico introduced. “This is Jason, Hazel and Frank, children of Jupiter, Pluto, and Mars. Guys, this is Chiron, the Camp Activities Director.”

“A pleasure,” Chiron said, eyes wrinkling as he smiled. “And my, what powerful demigods. I hate to ask, but how old are you?”

Frank exchanged another uncomfortable look with Hazel, but Jason answered for them. “I’m 19, Frank’s 20, and Hazel’s 17.” 

Chiron stroked his beard, considering this. “How interesting. Well, it is wonderful to meet you. I’m very thankful we’ll have the opportunity to unite our camps; it’s long overdue, in my opinion.”

Jason cleared his throat, and took one of the satchels that Nico had carried in. “We agree too,” he said, projecting his voice. “And, as representation of our desire for peace, we brought gifts. For you.” He unrolled one of the tapestries they’d picked out, done in the traditional style with little naked cupids flying around a temple. 

Chiron’s brow furrowed. “Oh. How… nice.” He had the good graces to pretend to appreciate the tapestry, looking it over and miming being impressed. _This is going horribly,_ Frank thought to himself. 

Chiron straightened and took the tapestry-- which was admittedly pretty ugly-- from Jason’s hands. “Thank you very much for the wonderful gift. I will have it hung up immediately.”

After that, they were led inside to the living room, where they were to meet the camp counselors. Frank didn't know why there wasn't a more professional place for them to meet-- maybe they did have a Senate building, but it was just under renovation-- but he kept quiet about it. 

They divested themselves of their bags as more people filled in, until there were around two dozen campers in the room. They sat all around, some on the couch cushions, some on the floor, some on armrests. One guy sat directly in a larger girl’s lap-- his girlfriend? 

When they were all settled, Chiron cleared his throat, starting the meeting. He introduced them again, saying their godly parentage once more-- and jeez, Frank hadn’t been called a _son of Mars_ this much since his claiming day-- and then introduced the campers that were gathered around. “These are our camp counselors, one from each cabin. Would you guys please go around and say your names, and what cabin you’re representing?”

One girl, who was wearing a gardening smock, raised her hand. “Sorry, but can you remind me again who Mars is? Is that Hermes?”

“It’s Ares,” Frank said awkwardly. The girl with the guy on her lap looked up, suddenly interested, and Frank tried not to look at her. “And, um, Jupiter is Zeus, and Pluto is Hades.” He’d gotten pretty good at remembering the Greek names of Roman gods after having been friends with Percy for so long, since he had a tendency of mixing them up. 

“Great question, Katie,” Chiron praised. “Would you like to start?”

“Sure. I’m Katie Garner, daughter of Demeter.”

“Also known as Ceres,” Chiron said helpfully. “Okay, Clovis, you’re next.”

They went around the circle, all of them introducing themselves. Frank tried to suppress his surprise at how much of their identities they seemed to put into their godly parents. Back at Camp Jupiter, there were certain campers who did the same, like Jason or Percy, but that was because they had especially powerful and unusual parents. Most people didn’t see Frank and immediately think _child of Mars,_ they usually thought _member of the Fifth Cohort--_ if they were feeling generous, that was. He knew a half-dozen legionnaires who he didn’t have any clue about their godly parentage, like Gwen. It just wasn’t that important. 

Frank tried to pay attention as they went around, but there were simply too many names to remember. There were 20 cabins, each with a counselor, or in some cases, two counselors, like Travis and Connor of the Hermes cabin, or Piper and Drew of the Aphrodite cabin. In a few cases, the actual counselor wasn’t even there, and had sent a representative. That happened with Jake Mason, who apologized for his counselor, saying “Sorry, Beckendorf was in the middle of a project.” It also, notably, happened with the Athena cabin, which was headed by Caleb, a skinny guy with a blond fringe. “Annabeth isn’t at camp right now, so I’m replacing her temporarily. She should be back soon, though.”

Frank exchanged a look with Jason. “That’s Annabeth Chase?” Jason clarified, and there was some muttering from the other campers. 

Caleb confirmed it, and they moved on. Frank really wanted to meet Annabeth, especially after hearing about her for so long, but he also remembered Percy's warning about her possibly trying to manipulate them. It might be better if they didn't meet her, at least not yet. 

They finished going around, with one of the final people being the girl with the guy on her lap. “And I’m Clarisse,” she introduced, tilting her chin up. “Daughter of Ares and head counselor of Cabin 5.”

“And, apparently, half-sister of Frank,” Will said, like he was trying to make friends. 

Clarisse snorted. “We’ll see about that.”

Frank briefly considered turning into a fish and jump into the canoe lake, never to be seen again. Why did he want to go on this quest again?

Jason cleared his throat, gesturing at the guy on Clarisse’s lap. “And you are--”

“Oh, I’m Chris,” the guy said, sounding surprised. “Ignore me, I’m not a counselor. I’m just here for the drama.”

“And we love having you here,” Chiron said, sounding like he wanted to retire. “Well, this was wonderful. Dinner is at 6, and no, we _will not_ be allowing campers in early, no matter how much you bribe the cleaning harpies. Until then, our ambassadors can join their parent’s cabins. Jason, since we don’t have any children of Zeus at this time, we’ll have you go with the Hermes cabin, alright?”

Jason seemed to take a moment to process this. “Oh, actually I think it’d be better if we were put in a cabin together,” he started to say, but Chiron was already shaking his head.

“Unfortunately, that won’t be possible. We’ve tried it before, the… promiscuity that tends to come from it just isn’t worth the hassle. No, you’ll all go with your half-siblings, except for Jason, of course.”

 _Half-siblings…_ Frank had just figured out what that meant when Clarisse came up to him and patted him on the back roughly. “Come on, fresh meat. Time to show you your daddy’s cabin.”

***

Camp Half Blood had some really beautiful cabins. The Ares cabin was not one of them. 

The outside was crudely painted dark gray, though when Frank looked he noticed spots of red underneath, like that had been its original color. There was barbed wire all along the roof, and the entire cabin was ringed with signs that said things like KEEP OUT, WARNING, and DANGER: ACTIVE LAND MINES. On the door hung an ugly taxidermied boar's head, and right beside the door was a pool of red blood, like something had died there. 

“Ignore that,” Clarisse said, as if completely unsurprised by its presence there. “Don’t worry, it’s not from an animal or anything.”

“Great,” Frank said, wondering if that was a joke. Honestly, at this point he didn’t know what he was rooting for. 

They went inside the cabin, which was decorated pretty much the same. It was bigger than it looked from the outside, at least, with 3 steel-framed bunk beds on either side of the room, heavy metal posters on the wall, and camouflage netting along the ceiling. On the opposite wall from the door, there stood a life sized cardboard cutout of a white guy with pearly teeth and perfectly coiffed hair-- an actor, maybe a member of One Direction? His body was perforated with holes, and he had a knife sticking out of heart, like he’d been used for target practice. 

“This is nice,” Frank said, for lack of anything better. 

“It’s the best cabin there is,” Clarisse bragged, propping the giant spear she’d been carrying against the wall. “Sherman, Mark, say hi to the new recruit!”

_I’m just visiting,_ Frank wanted to say, but didn’t. As little as he wanted to be associated with these guys, he knew it was his job to make friends, so he tried to put on a smile. 

Sherman and Mark had both been laying in their bunks on the left half of the room, but they jumped up at Clarrise’s order. They were both Frank’s size, easy, wearing sweatpants and tight t-shirts, like army guys on break. They introduced themselves, both shaking Frank’s hand too firmly, like it was a display for dominance. Logically, Frank knew that gods didn’t actually have DNA-- hence why inter-demigod dating wasn’t weird-- but he still found himself looking for a resemblance between them. Technically, these were his brothers-- half-brothers, but still. 

Mark was white, with short-cropped brown hair, much like Frank’s own. Meanwhile, Sherman appeared to be Chinese, like Frank, though he wore his hair long, tied back in a bun. “So, you’re Roman,” he said, crossing his arms and sizing Frank up. 

Frank wondered if he was supposed to act extra manly or something. Somehow, he felt like the normal rules of a conversation didn’t apply here. “Uh, yeah.”

Mark sneered. “Do all Romans use sissy-weapons, or just you?”

It took Frank to realize he was referring to the bow still slung over his shoulder. “Uh, just me.”

Sherman nudged Mark, giving him a look. “Hey, come on. You know about Rome’s success in war, you seriously think they could do that if they were all dumb-fuckin’ archers?”

“Good point.”

Frank bit the inside of his cheek. “Roman’s are actually known for their fight tactics, both long and short range.” _That’s how we defeated the Greeks the first time,_ he wanted to add, but stopped himself at the last moment. 

Mark snickered, and was about to say something else when Clarisse cut him off. “Zhang, grab a bunk and put your shit away.”

“Cool,” Frank said, happy to have that conversation end. He grabbed his stuff and was about to move to the right side of the cabin, away from Sherman and Mark’s bunks, but before he could Clarisse said “Boys are on the left, girls on the right.”

Frank adjusted course, finding an empty bunk on the boy’s side and dropping his stuff on it. “How many girls are there?”

“For right now, it’s just me,” Clarisse said, and Frank winced in sympathy. “We have five guys: Sherman, Mark, Ellis, Sam, and Ryker.”

“Okay. Where are the others?”  
“Fuck if I know.”

Frank nodded, like _cool, cool. Glad you guys are my family. I’d hate to be assigned to a different cabin, like I don’t know, Apollo. If I was in Apollo's cabin, we'd probably give each other archery advice and have nice long talks about our feelings. How awful._

_Maybe I could disown my dad,_ Frank thought, but shook his head. He liked Mars-- it was Ares he wasn’t so sure about. 

That made him think about Percy with his whole Poseidon/Neptune stuff, and he realized he still hadn’t been asked any questions about Percy. They _did_ know he was alive, right?

“Do any of you want to hear about Percy?” He asked, feeling a little more invigorated. Percy’s drama with the two camps was interesting, at least, and better than just sitting in silence. 

Mark and Sherman, who had returned to their top bunks, shared a glance, then looked to Clarisse, who had started polishing her spear. “Percy?” She said, not looking up. “Who’s that?”

Frank felt his heart sink. Maybe Clarisse hadn’t been around back then, but if that was the case, how could she be head counselor? “You know, Percy Jackson,” Frank said. Surely, she’d at least _heard_ of him. “Son of Ne-- Poseidon. He was the guy in the video we sent you.”

Clarisse scratched her neck, making a face. “Hmm… oh right, that one. I remember, he was at camp a while ago. We never really interacted, he was pretty quiet, to himself. He didn’t exactly have a big impact on camp, if you know what I mean. But yeah, I guess I remember him.”

Mark and Sherman looked like two dogs who had just been told they’d get a fresh steak, then had it eaten right before their eyes. “Oh, yeah,” Mark said, voice falling. “I remember him.”

“I probably heard about him from somewhere,” Sherman agreed, going back to his _Guns and Ammo_ magazine. 

Frank looked back and forth between them, waiting for the punchline. He knew they couldn’t be serious, but at the same time… he _didn’t_ know. All he knew about Camp Half-Blood and Percy’s affect on it was from what Percy and Nico told him, and the dream. But still, Percy was incredibly memorable. He was supposed to be the child of the prophecy-- no way they’d just _forgotten_ about him, especially after seeing the video. 

Frank wasn’t sure what type of game they were playing, but he doubted he was going to get anywhere like this. He’d have to try again later, maybe this time with just the guys. For all he knew, this was just a personal thing between Percy and Clarisse, and she’d dragged her brothers into the rivalry too. 

***

**Jason**

Jason was not looking forward to sleeping in the Hermes cabin. They had oh-so-generously given him a sleeping bag and a wadded up blanket to use as a pillow, even though the entire cabin was filled with rows and rows of beds. Jason tried not to complain, but then he saw that one of the beds was being used as storage for boxes, and thought he should at least ask. “Hey, how about I use that one? I can move the stuff off of it, and put it back when I leave.”

Travis, who’d been his official guide, clicked his tongue. “Nah, we don’t use that bed anymore.”

Jason tried not to get angry. “Why not?”

“It’s unlucky,” Connor piped up, from where he’d been digging through one of the trunks on the other side of the room. “Bad Karma.”

Jason wanted to press, but then he realized. “Wait, was that Luke’s bed?”

Travis looked at him like he was crazy. “Did Nico tell you about that?”

“No, Percy did,” Jason said, frowning. He realized no one had even asked about Percy yet, and based on Percy’s reaction to hearing Travis’ voice on the Iris message the other day, he was positive that they’d known each other. “He’s really sorry he couldn’t come, by the way. We just all decided it’d be for the best.”

Travis nodded, pulling a fidget cube from his pocket and starting to mess with it. “Oh yeah, totally. We understand.”

Jason waited, but they didn’t ask any further questions. “I could… tell you about him, if you want.”

“I have a better idea,” Connor piped up, tossing something at him. Jason caught it instinctively, surprised to find that it was a climbing harness. “I think it’s time we introduce you to the climbing wall.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I spent a couple days working on this chapter, and by the end was like "Great, this is probably around 4k words". Nope. Nope, it was 9k. Hence, it was split in two, and the next chapter will be posted in approx 24 hours!
> 
> In this chapter:  
> \- They rode the chariot (and Frank and Jason made amends and talked about Jason/Percy)  
> \- They landed and met Piper and Will (who's nonbinary!!)  
> \- They went and met Chiron, who asked them about their ages and pretended to be impressed at their ugly art  
> \- They met the councilors, including Clarisse  
> \- Frank saw the Ares cabin, met Sherman and Mark, and asked about Percy unsuccessfully
> 
> Please comment and let me know what you think! Remember, this is just the start to their camp half-blood journey-- lots more excitement to come! 
> 
> And lastly, a note on Will being nonbinary: obviously, he’s not in canon, but I thought it worked with his personality, and I was wanting to write an enby character anyways. The way I see it, he identified as Cis for a long time, including when he started dating Nico, but over time realized non-binary might make more sense, and started going by he/they pronouns and playing with his gender expression. Nico had previously only identified as gay, but is completely supportive of Will coming out as NB, and now probably considers his sexuality something other than gay (since he’s not dating another man), but honestly doesn’t care about the labels that much. In the past, Nico has been referred to as having a ‘boyfriend’ by Frank, who knew he was gay and in a relationship. Nico didn’t correct him, even though that is untrue (a better word would be to call Will his ‘partner’).  
> Hazel was confused because she was from the 40s and didn’t know much about pronouns, but Nico is going to catch her up.  
> I’m not going to make the non-binary thing a huge deal or Will’s entire personality/arch/whatever. I am going to try to make sure the correct terms are used, so if you notice I missed something, please politely let me know! That’s all. 
> 
> Please comment and let me know what you think, and have a great day!


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As some of you noticed, in the last chapter it was mentioned that Beckendorf is alive! Originally i had him listed by Percy as one of the people who died, but I ended up changing my mind and editing that chapter retrospectively. Beckendorf is alive and well, and looking out for his younger siblings... including one in particular with some pretty impressive fire powers...

**Frank**

Eventually, Frank needed to go to the bathroom, and he had to ask Mark where it was. “Outside, over by the Hera cabin,” he said. “I’ll walk you.”

Frank tried to object, saying no really, he was fine, but Mark insisted. They walked together to the bathrooms, which looked like exactly the type of thing one would expect at any run-down summer camp, and Mark waited outside for him to finish up. 

_You’d think children of the gods would have better conditions,_ Frank thought, but kept it to himself. He didn’t want to cause a war based on _bathroom conditions._

As they walked back to the Ares cabin, Frank’s eyes strayed over to the climbing wall a little ways away. There was a blond kid on it, halfway to the top, trying desperately to avoid a deluge of lava. Frank was slightly worried for the guy, but was about to ignore him and keep walking when he realized. “Shit, is that Jason?”

  
He jogged over, his chaperone following behind him. Once they got closer, Frank could confirm, yep, that was definitely Jason, badly clambering up the rocky wall and trying to kick lava away with the toe of his shoe like an idiot. 

“Is he gonna be alright?” Frank asked.

A guy a couple feet away answered: “Yeah, don’t worry about him. He’s got a harness on.”

Frank looked over, and found one of the Hermes kids from earlier sitting on a log, watching the display peacefully. He and his brother looked pretty similar, but Frank was pretty sure this one was Travis, and the guy over by the wall belaying Jason was his younger brother, Conner. 

“Come on, watch with me,” Travis invited, patting the log beside him. Frank took the offer, trying to use his hand to block the sun so he could watch Jason’s ascent. 

“Why does the rock wall have lava?” He asked. 

“Extra challenge,” Travis answered easily, like it was a line he’d said many times before. “We met earlier, by the way. I’m--”

“Travis, right,” Frank responded, not looking over. “I’m Frank.”

Travis didn’t respond for a moment, so Frank glanced over, worried he had somehow offended him. It looked like he hadn’t though, because Travis was giving him an interested look, as if Frank had surprised him. “Nice. It takes a lot of campers weeks to tell us apart; some still get us messed up.”

“He’s shorter,” Frank said. “And I help with the intake of lots of new demigods at my camp. I’ve gotten good with names.”

“I guess so,” Travis said. “Do you know any other children of Hermes?”

Frank looked back up at the wall, where Jason had managed to avoid the lava, and was now sneaking sideways to try and find better grips. “You mean Mercury? A few, I think. I’m not close with any of them.”

“A shame. We’re the nicest demigods you’ll ever meet. And the most interesting. And the most humble. And--”

Frank snorted at the joke, and Travis grinned. “So, who’d you leave behind at yoru camp? Siblings, best friends, partners…”

Frank shook his head. “Nah, I’m single. I mostly just left friends behind, but they’ll be alright.” _Assuming Percy hasn’t set the place on fire yet._ “What about you? Who are… your people?”

“I mean, I’m pretty close to my brother, obviously, plus all my other half-siblings. And I’m dating Katie Gardiner.”

The name sounded familiar to Frank, and he tried to place it. “That’s the head counselor for… Demeter?” It was a complete guess based on the last name _Gardiner_ , but based on Travis’ nodding he was correct. “Yep. We got together a couple months before the war. We didn’t plan to stay together this long-- we figured at least one of us wouldn’t make it-- but I guess things worked out.”

Frank was genuinely interested in what he was saying, and had the same feeling he had sometimes with Percy, like he wanted to press for details, but wasn’t sure what was too invasive a question. Finally, he settled on one that he thought was alright: “Why’d you get together at all if you thought it’d just be for a few months? Sounds like a recipe for heartbreak to me.”

Travis shrugged and gave him a sad smile. “It was a recipe for heartbreak either way. This war wasn’t gentle to the Hermes cabin.”

“I guess not.”

“A lot of people ended up getting into relationships before the war,” Travis reflected. “Which honestly isn’t that surprising: no one wants to die a virgin.”

Frank huffed out a laugh. “I guess. Still, I feel like you should’ve focused on the ‘not dying’ part instead of the ‘virgin’ part.”

“That sounds like something a virgin would say.”

Frank rolled his eyes. “So, you two are still dating? How’s it going?”

On the rock wall, Jason did a jump from one overhanging of rock to another 4 feet away. It would’ve been really impressive, if he didn’t immediately trip trying to get a foothold and nearly fall. At the bottom of the rock wall, Connor and Mark yelled encouragement that sounded suspiciously like abuse. “Whatever you do, don’t look down! I think your harness is too loose! Wait, not that hand-hold-- ouch, that’s gotta hurt!”

Travis ignored them, and Frank tried to do the same, reminding himself that Jason could fly; he’d be fine. 

Travis rubbed his face, still thinking about Frank’s question. “It’s going pretty well. I mean, I don’t think we’re soul-mates or anything, but I like her a lot, and our plans line up well. We both graduated in the Spring, and are going to take a gap year at camp. But we don’t want to be counselors forever-- eventually, we’re going to go out into the mortal world to like, go to college and shit. We’ll break up then, and go to different cities so we don’t attract as many monsters. From then on, we’ll just try to last as long as we can.”

Frank thought back to his aerial view of the camp, along with everything else he knew about how it was run, and put two and two together to conclude that, oh duh, Camp Half-Blood didn’t have a city of demigods supporting it. Frank had always thought New Rome was cool, but he’d never really appreciated it for what it was. Now, hearing Travis talk about his plans to go out into the mortal world and do his best to avoid monsters, even at the expense of ending a relationship, Frank felt strangely mournful. _There should be better options for them._

Right at that moment, Jason’s grip on the rock wall slipped, and he fell. Luckily, Connor had just been teasing him earlier, and the rope caught him. 

“Better luck next time!” He shouted, and started lowering a peeved Jason to the ground. 

***

The Hermes cabin left after that, so Frank got Mark to give him a tour of the camp while they waited for dinner. He tried to get more information out of him about the camp, but Mark seemed naturally quiet, and eventually Frank gave up.

At dinner, they were invited to join Chiron at the head table. Frank wanted to debrief with Hazel and Jason, but felt uncomfortable doing it under the eyes of the centaur, so they kept the conversation light and professional. It helped that Nico sat with them too, and was able to help with vague chatter about the peace treaty.

Mid-way through the meal, Chiron asked them to introduce themselves to the campers, since their earlier meeting had just been with the counselors. They agreed, and Chiron tapped on his glass, getting everyone’s attention. “Hello campers, I hope you’ve all had a productive day of activities. As I’m sure you all know by now, our ambassadors from Camp Jupiter arrived earlier this afternoon. If possible, I would like for them to introduce themselves by giving your names, pronouns, godly parent, and, erm… let’s do a fun icebreaker, how about your favorite type of cheese?”

Nico looked like he was trying not to laugh at them as they stood, addressing the room. Jason started: “Hi, I am Jason Grace, he/him/his, child of Jupiter and centurion of the Fifth Cohort.” His eyes went slightly wild as he tried to figure out the right answer to the last question. “I like… American cheese.”

“Wrong answer!” Someone shouted out, and a couple people laughed. 

Hazel put her hand on her chest, going next. “Hello everyone, my name is Hazel Levesque, she/her/hers, and I am a _probatio_ of the Fifth Cohort and child of Pluto. I like pimiento cheese.”

A few people hummed, while one guy a table away muttered “That’s a spread, it doesn’t count.” Then all eyes were on Frank. 

He swallowed. “I’m Frank Zhang, child of Mars and, uh-- legionnaire from the Fifth Cohort. He/him/his. And I’m lactose intolerant.”

There were a few boos from the crowd, and someone threw a crumpled up chip bag in his direction. It landed lamely on the ground three feet in front of him, and Frank looked to Chiron, wondering if he was going to say anything about the clear sign of disrespect to a foreign ambassador. Chiron just made eye contact with the camper at fault, waggling his finger disappointedly. 

Someone at one of the tables further back shouted “What’s a pro-bate-o?”

Jason glanced at Chiron, obviously just as confused as Frank was, and Chiron just gestured for him to answer, like this was perfectly normal behavior. “Hazel, do you want to take this one?”  
Hazel nodded once. Frank had noticed earlier that she was still wearing his breastplate, like what Jason did sometimes, and… yeah, it looked really nice on her. She had only been at Camp Jupiter for a few weeks, and she had already mastered the posture. _Regal,_ Frank thought again, almost intrusively. 

Hazel answered the question, addressing the crowd as a whole. “At Camp Jupiter, there are four ranks one could be: _probatio,_ legionnaire, centurion, and praetor. Everyone who is new to camp starts as a _probatio_ , and has the opportunity to work their way up. They stay a _probatio_ until they complete a meaningful act to prove themselves worthy of being at camp.”

Frank looked over the crowd. Some people seemed to be getting it, but a few still looked confused, so he tried to relate it back to them. “What do you guys have to do to prove yourselves worthy of being at camp?”

It was silent for a moment, before someone at the Hermes cabin chimed in “Uh, live long enough to get here?” That made everyone laugh. 

Hazel gave Frank a look, like _can we agree that they’re all crazy?_ She managed to regain her composure quickly enough however. “Anyways. After proving themselves, a _probatio_ becomes upgraded to a full member of the legion, called a legionnaire. Eventually, the legionnaire may be promoted to centurion, though not always: there are five Cohorts in the legion, each with only two centurians.”

“The rank after centurion is praetor,” Jason finished for her, when she started to hesitate. “They act as the leaders of the camp. Right now, we have two: Reyna, the head praetor, and Octavian.” He didn’t add any more about Octavian, probably not wanting to let the Greeks know that he was only added so Camp Jupiter’s infrastructure would be stronger, in case of a war.

No one said much in reply to that, so Frank asked "What other questions can we answer for you?"

 _Time for some deep cultural analysis,_ he thought, settling in for a long night of answering questions and building community--

"Why are you lactose intolerant?" Someone shouted. 

He felt something die inside. "I think it’s genetic?”

"Thank you, Butch, for that thought provoking question," Chiron said dryly. "Everyone should feel free to talk to our ambassadors whenever they get the chance. After all, their visit here is for the intrinsic purpose of building community. With that said, you may all resume your dinner, and we’ll gather for campfire at our normal time.”

Everyone went back to their meals, and the three Roman campers sat back down. “That went well,” Jason commently blandly. 

“You’ll get used to it,” Nico promised. 

Frank, desperately, tried to get one last morsel of useful information out of the conversation. “Does Camp Half-Blood have ranks too, like legionnaire and centurion and stuff?”

Chiron stroked his chin thoughtfully. “I suppose we do, in a way, though our ranks aren’t quite so clearly defined. I believe our normal campers would be the equivalent to your legionnaires, and our counselors would be like your centurions, though of course the ratio is somewhat off. That makes me praetor, along with the Director Mr.D.”

“Mr.D?” Hazel asked. 

“Yes, Dionysus. He is out right now, handling a situation on Mount Olympus.”

***

After that whole fiasco-- and seriously, what the fuck was an _Olympian God_ doing running a dingy summer camp?-- Frank rejoined the Ares campers to go back to their cabin for a little while before campfire. There, he was introduced to the other Ares campers (Ellis, Sam, and Ryker, all built pretty much the same as Mark and Sherman), before asking if he could go to their father’s temple to pray for a little while. 

“What temple?” Sherman asked. 

Frank blinked a couple times. “The-- our father’s-- there has to be a temple, right?”

Sherman cocked his head to the side, looking at Frank like _he_ was the weird one. “Um, no? We sacrifice food at dinner, but we don’t have a temple or anything.”

“Anywhere I can go to pray?” Frank asked desperately.

“Um, outside? If you go behind the cabin it’ll probably be pretty quiet.”

Frank followed his advice-- and Sherman followed _him_ , like he might get lost or something-- and found himself behind the cabin, staring at the ugly gray paint slightly covered in spiderwebs. 

He knelt to pray, wishing he could build a fire to make a sacrifice, but also knowing he’d do better just making a sacrifice at Campfire. He let his forehead rest against the gravel ground, trying to ignore the sound of Sherman shuffling his feet a few meters away, probably staring at him. 

_Great Mars, please hear my prayers._

Inside the cabin, someone yelled at someone else, and then more people joined in, sounding delighted to have a reason to raise their voices. 

_Thank you for safe travel across the country. Thank you for my powers, and the gifts you have bestowed upon me. Thank you for--_

Someone shrieked like a little kid, and Frank could just make out Clarisse’s only-slightly-more feminine voice threatening to kick someone’s balls in. 

_Thank you for having my first day at Camp Half-Blood go so… well. Please help everyone back at Camp Jupiter stay safe. Please help Percy and Reyna and Gwen and Octavian. Please help everyone at this camp as well--_

From a ways away, he heard a girl shout “Hi Sherman, you look so good today! What’re you standing there for?”

“I’m watching one of the ambassadors pray! Let’s talk later!”

“Oh, okay! See you at campfire!”

“Oh, you _know_ I’ll be there.”

She giggled. 

_Please help all these horny fucktards I’m surrounded with,_ Frank prayed, losing his composure slightly. _Please help me to keep from stabbing all of my siblings to death. And vice versa. Also, please help Camp Half-Blood. Just in general, they need it._

***

**Jason**

Jason tried to meet up with Frank and Hazel during campfire, but once again they were pulled apart, as if the campers didn’t want them talking to each other. Well, it wasn’t actually the campers that were the problem, but the camp _counselors._

Jason would have to deal with that-- and find a way to meet up with Frank and Hazel-- later. For now, he was busy doing the somewhat absurd task of trying to entertain a bunch of 13-year olds. 

He wasn’t sure _how_ he’d come by the task, but at some point Travis had told him to sit on a specific log, and then a bunch of pre-teens kept popping up and talking to him, and then all of a sudden he was surrounded by them. He was pretty sure most of them were recently-claimed demigods who’d only been at camp for a few months. If he remembered correctly, there’d been a surge of new demigods after the Battle of Manhattan, when Annabeth had negotiated with the gods to ‘claim their goddamn kids’. 

Now, those same new demigods were pestering him with questions as he tried his best to keep up. 

“Is Rome big?”

“Sure, New Rome is moderately big.”

“What is New Rome’s favorite colors?” One of the kids asked, throwing him for a loop. 

“Um, purple, I guess?”

“Is your hair naturally that color, or is it dyed?”

Jason brought a hand up to his hair on instinct. “It’s natural.”

“My mom says that all boys with blond hair are gay.”

Jason felt himself prickle in bisexual indignation. “Well, that’s just false. If that was true, that’d mean that every son of Athena is gay.”

“You can’t prove that they aren’t!” The same kid replied, causing all her peers to chitter with laughter. 

“What powers do you have?” A different kid asked, and some of the others _ooh-ed_ appreciatively.

_They’re just kids trying to have fun,_ Jason reminded himself. “I don’t have any powers.”

That caused the whole group to gasp. “But you’re a son of Zeus! You have to have powers!”

“Well, technically I do, but I don’t use them,” Jason said, trying to find a way to steer the conversation away from him. “Do any of you have cool powers?”

That worked almost too well, and the kids started doing what could only be called an impromptu magic show/talent competition. It ended abruptly when a zombie exploded from the ground, destroying the fresh patch of daisies a Demeter kid had just grown, and making all of them scream and run. Jason just sat there, staring at it and wondering if this was something he’d need his sword for, when Nico and Hazel stepped over the log, joining him on it. “Okay Simon, you can go now,” Nico said to the zombie, which turned to look at him with his rotting face. He made an expression that took Jason a few seconds to decipher as _a puppy dog pout,_ and Nico sighed, smiling. “Okay, yeah, you did a great job. You’ll be my number one guy to call to scare the littles from now on.” He gave the zombie a fist-bump, and the zombie cheered silently before sinking back into the ground. 

Nico turned his gaze on Jason, intrigued. “You weren’t scared of him.”

“I wasn’t sure if zombies popping out of the ground was just something that happened around here,” Jason confessed. “Hey Hazel. How are you holding up?”  
“Better than you, apparently,” she said. Her brow creased. “There is some weird stuff going on, though. I think we need to find a time tonight to meet with Frank and figure it out.”

“Agreed,” Jason said immediately. 

“Sneaking out of your cabin past curfew?” Nico said, faux-horrified. “I can’t even imagine. That’s breaking the _rules,_ you _can’t_ do that. I especially hope you don’t steal some marshmallows from the s’mores supply to bribe the cleaning harpies with, that would be just _awful._ ”

“Good tip,” Jason noted. “Do you sneak out after dark often?”

“Excuse _you_ , I have never broken _any_ rule _ever_.”

Hazel scoffed. “I lived with you in the Underworld for three months, where there were virtually no rules, and I think you still managed to break every single one.”

"Allegedly." 

Hazel left a minute later to try to find Frank, leaving Jason and Nico alone. They got to their feet, about to go search for s’mores supplies, when a flash of blonde hair caught Jason's attention. He thought he was wrong for a second before realizing, _no, that was definitely Annabeth._ She’d come up in his nightmares a couple times, but even without that, he felt like he could recognize her. She had the type of face you wanted to look at. Around her neck hung a camp necklace with more beads than almost anyone else Jason had seen thus far. She turned, and Jason sucked in breath: the entire side of her arm was mottled purple and red, with thin raised lines going down it all the way to her hand. Jason wasn’t sure what kind of scar that was from, but he could only imagine it had been excruciating to receive.

Annabeth was making her rounds, talking to someone for a few moments before moving on to the next, as if going around and explaining the solutions to math equations. There was something intent to her movements, and she easily sidestepped as a pair of younger demigods sprinted past, ducked when someone tried to throw something into the fire. She did this for a minute or so before her eyes caught on Nico, and she started heading toward them, stepping over a puddle of spilled soda without looking. “Nico,” she greeted when she got close enough, and pulled him into a close hug. Her scars glinted in the firelight. “Riddle me this: if two 9-year boys go to an elite year-round private school, and don’t have dyslexia, ADHD, or any other discernible reason to have trouble with homework, they should be able to do basic math problems, right? Especially if they have a tutor, right?”

“Right,” Nico said, humoring her. 

“That’s what you’d think, but that’s not the reality, now is it,” she said, grinning as she shared her point. “I swear to the gods, if my brothers don’t start getting their shit together soon, I’m going to _demand_ a pay raise--” just then, she seemed to notice Jason staring at her, and stopped mid-sentence, her stance shifting as if preparing for a fight. Jason had the instinctive urge to pull out his coin. “Who’s this?”

Jason and Nico exchanged a look like _whelp, I guess this is how we’re playing it,_ and Jason extended his hand to shake. “Jason Grace, son of Jupiter.”

Annabeth considered his hand for a moment, like it might secretly be holding a knife, before shaking it. “Annabeth Chase,” she greeted. “Daughter of--”

“Athena,” Jason answered. “I know.”

Very little about Annabeth’s facial features changed-- the exact curve of her lip, the angle of her gaze, the altitude of her chin-- but all of a sudden, her expression was completely different. This expression wasn’t _hi, random new camper I don’t care about._ It was a look scarily similar to one Jason had only seen on Percy once or twice before, and it read something like _I’d burn you alive just to see what color your ashes would be_. 

Annabeth turned to Nico. “The Roman campers are here already? You didn’t tell me--”

“I tried _so hard_ to tell you,” Nico defended. “I Iris Messaged you so many times, but you never answered.”

“I was with my family, no magic at the Chase household,” Annabeth chastened, like it was Nico’s fault. “You could’ve called me.”

“With _what phone?_ ”

Annabeth sniffed, then looked back to Jason. She was at just the perfect angle for the firelight to illuminate her, showing off a few of the purple scars that crept up her neck. “How old are you?”

“19.”

“When’s your birthday?”

“July 1st,” he answered dubiously. “I’m a cancer.”

“All children of the Big Three are like cancer: toxic,” Annabeth responded almost immediately. Nico kicked her very unsubtly in the shin, and she kicked him back without looking. “Sorry. I’m also technically a cancer, but I align more with Virgo. And I wasn’t asking about your zodiac, I was asking--”

“Because of the Great Prophecy,” Jason finished for her. “Chiron asked me too. I think the prophecy was only for Greek demigods, or was only ever intended for Nico anyways.”

Annabeth gave him an assessing look. Jason was pretty sure, if given the chance, she’d like to peel him apart layer by layer just to see if she could put him back together again. “We always assumed the prophecy would be about the first Big Three child to reach 16. Now I’m starting to think we were wrong.”

“Well, you were,” Jason said. “Because Percy reached 16 before Nico did, but the prophecy wasn’t about him.”

“You know a lot about the prophecy, considering you say it only applied to Greek demigods. Did your Oracle tell you?”

Jason blinked. “We don’t have an oracle, we have an augur. But he didn’t tell me, Percy did.”

Annabeth faked a yawn. “Which Percy? I know so many.”

Jason stared at her, trying to figure out what game she was playing. Percy’s warning from before was also playing in his mind unhelpfully: _Annabeth will gut you like a fish if you give her the chance. If you ever start to doubt her, start to think she’s not that smart, or not that capable, or anything like that-- run in the opposite direction. That means she’s plotting something, and you might as well throw in the towel right away._

After meeting her, Jason definitely believed she would gut him like fish. 

“You know,” he hazarded. “The waterboy. Dumb as a bag of rocks, but somehow still confusingly wise? He ate you out in a temple of Demeter once.”

“Funny, that’s not narrowing it down,” Annabeth said, shrugging. “Well, nice meeting you. Enjoy the scenery. Try not to destroy my camp while you’re here.”

“No promises,” he said, and she flipped him off as she walked away. He waited until she was gone to say “She’s--” 

“Just like Percy, but somehow both better and worse?” Nico filled in for him. “Yeah. Yeah, basically.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter:  
> \- Frank watched Jason climb the rock wall and talked to Travis (the whole "no one wants to die a virgin" conversation)  
> \- dinner (with Greek demigods being obnoxious and Chiron trying to come up with fun quirky icebreakers)  
> \- plus comparing the two camps, especially at a structural level (campers/counselors; legionaires/centurians)  
> \- Frank's prayer  
> \- Jason's POV at campfire (with the 13 year olds 🥺. And Nico's zombie)  
> \- Annabeth
> 
> Also: yayyyy, Annabeth! Slightly scarred, but still mostly fine Annabeth!! Yayyyyy!
> 
> Please comment and let me know what you think, and have a great day!


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for vague mentioning of vomitting

**Jason**

Jason tried to sneak out of the Hermes cabin late that night, and accidentally woke one of the kids as he opened the door. "Where are you going?" the kid, Cecil, asked. 

"Bathroom," Jason lied, keeping his voice down in hopes that no one else would wake. 

"One of us is supposed to go with you…" Cecil murmured, drowsy. "Travis said not to leave you alone…" 

Jason felt a slight pang of panic at the words, hating this feeling of being trapped. He’d had a foster dad once who made him ask for permission to leave his room, and-- yeah, nope, he hated it. "It's alright, I'll be back in a minute. Go back to sleep." 

Apparently, that was all Cecil needed to give in and go back to snoring a few seconds later. Jason glanced back at the cabin once more, including at Travis and Connor's empty bunks, then slipped outside. 

He kept an eye out for the cleaning harpies as he silently ran behind the row of minor god’s cabins. Outside it was mostly dark, the only light coming from the moon above, and the slight glow of the Apollo and Artemis cabins, gold and silver respectively. Aside from the patrolling harpies that he assumed were around, it was empty. 

When he got to the Hades cabin he knocked and Hazel opened the door and ushered him in quickly, as if she’d been waiting. She was about to close the door again when she noticed something, and opened it just a crack, letting a little brown bird fly in and land on her bed, turning into Frank mid-drop. "Hey guys," he said. 

"Hey," Jason greeted, looking around. "Is Nico here?"

"He's at the counselor meeting," Hazel said, looking nervous. "I think they're talking about us." 

"That must be where Travis and Connor are too," Jason realized. 

"And Clarisse," Frank added. "Her bunk was empty when I left." 

"Can we agree that something about this whole situation is weird?" Jason asked, and the others both nodded. “Travis and Connor have been watching me non-stop, and they told the other Hermes kids not to let me leave the cabin by myself.”

“The Ares kids are acting the same,” Frank agreed. “Mark walked with me to the bathroom earlier today, and Sherman didn’t let me out of his eyesight while I was praying. It was weird.”

Hazel shook her head. “Maybe we’re reading too much into this? They could just be really intense about the buddy system.”

“I see campers walking around by themselves all the time,” Frank argued. “It’s just us who they’re doing this to. It’s like they’re keeping an eye on us. Is Nico acting weird at all?”

Hazel sighed, and sat down on her bed. “No, not really. He isn’t doing any of the things you guys were talking about. _But,_ he does seem pretty annoyed at the other counselors.”

Jason nodded, remembering. “Right. Maybe he’s still annoyed they moved the timeline up? He said something about that earlier, and he said something like it to Annabeth too.”

The other two both turned to gawk at him. “You talked to Annabeth?”

He filled them in on their conversation, finding that he was still surprised at how it had gone. The way Percy talked about her, Annabeth was a master tactician, but that definitely wasn’t how she’d presented herself to him. She didn’t try to manipulate or flatter or pry information from him. She had seemed genuinely surprised that he was there, and she didn’t even try to hide her distaste from him. At least he knew one thing for sure: Annabeth was not happy to have the Roman ambassadors in her camp. 

Jason then turned the conversation to the other thing he’d found weird about Annabeth: the purple scarring up and down her arm. “They looked too organic to be from a sword wound--” he started, and a new voice cut him off. 

“That’s because they weren’t,” Nico Di Angelo said from behind him, and he jumped. Nico was standing by the closed door, looking as if he’d appeared straight from the shadows, with an irritated expression on his face. “During the Titan War, Annabeth was stabbed in the arm with a poison blade. Will was able to stop the poison’s spread, but so far the scarring has been permanent.” He blinked a few times, then frowned. “What are you doing in my cabin?”  
Jason tried to explain: “The other campers aren’t letting us be around each other, we needed to debrief--”

Nico shook his head. “It’s not the campers who are keeping you apart, it’s the counselors. Speaking of, the counselor meeting just ended, so I’d suggest you get back to your cabins before they do.”

***

Jason had no other choice: he flew. 

_Fucking-mother-of-fucks-dick-shit-cocksucker--_ he thought as he launched into the sky. He hated doing this, and had only actually done it a few times before during his quest with Gwen, and this time was just as bad. He shot into the air, the cool wind rustling his clothes and stinging his eyes. Once he was past the low-hanging clouds, he changed directions, heading toward the Hermes cabin across the way. This was the only way he could get there before Travis and Connor, which was the only reason he could bring himself to do this, but still, _still._ He hated flying.

It was beautiful. It was exhilarating. But until he got over his fear of turning into a greasespot upon landing, or you know, _breaking both his legs_ , he wasn’t very focused on the potentially-fun parts. He just wanted to survive. 

He made the landing, and somehow managed not to scream as he did it, and then scrambled into the Hermes cabin. It was dark enough that he was pretty sure he wasn’t seen, even in the light of the lamps a few of the counselors were carrying around. He ducked into the room, closed the door, and all but dove into his sleeping bag on the floor. A minute later, Travis and Connor entered the room. 

“Is he still there?” One of them asked, and Jason squeezed his eyes tightly, trying desperately to measure his breathing. There were footsteps coming closer, and then quiet for a few moments before the other brother confirmed “Yeah, that’s him.”

“I’m impressed he could fall asleep on that floor,” the first one-- Travis?-- commented dryly, climbing into his bunk. “I can’t believe we used to make new campers sleep there. Do you think we should’ve given him Luke’s old bed?”

“Dude, _no._ They already look way too much alike. If I roll over in the morning and see his blond hair where Luke used to sleep, I’m pretty sure I’ll piss myself.”

“Yeah, that’s fair. Night bro.”

“Night.”

The lamp was put out, and after a moment more of shuffling, everything was silent. 

Jason felt like a voyeur, like he was doing something horrendously wrong even though he really _wasn't._

Still, he was shaken, and in a desperate moment he made a pact to himself to always do everything in his power to be trustworthy and trust _ing_. He would never make anyone else feel the way he did now-- or the way he’d felt when staying with that one awful foster dad. He’d make people feel safe.

***

**Frank**

Frank could’ve sobbed in relief when he entered the dining hall the next morning and found Hazel, Jason, and Nico sitting together at a table. After the morning he’d had, he needed some comfort, and apparently being able to sit with his friends for breakfast did just the trick. 

He sat down beside Hazel, exhaling loudly. “Hey guys.”

“Hey Frank,” Jason greeted. “I was just mourning my awful night’s sleep.”

“Oh yeah? What was so bad about it?”

“I had to sleep on the floor. For a while it was too cold, then it was too hot, but I’d already layered up and I didn’t want to climb out of the sleeping bag again… honestly, it was just hell.”

“That sounds awful,” Frank admitted. “But I have you beat. I had to sleep in human form, so I had nightmares all night, and then I was woken up at 4am by my _delightful_ cabin, who dumped a basin of ice water on me. Apparently, the Ares cabin does sunrise conditioning.”

The others winced. “That’s rough,” Jason sympathized.

“It gets worse. I think they were trying to initiate me or something, because the workout was super intense and they were all watching me the entire time. We did laps, then reps of strength exercises for fucking-ever. Clarisse told us we had to keep going until someone vomited.”

“Ew,” Hazel said, wrinkling her nose. 

_It was worse in person,_ Frank thought. The conditioning had been pretty hellish, but now that it was done, Frank was thankful to have survived it. The entire time, he’d been thinking about how he wasn’t just repping himself, but representing all of the Mars kids at Camp Jupiter. If he failed, or gave up or vomited or whatever, the Ares campers would hold it against him and his siblings eternally. With that in mind, it had been pretty easy to grit his teeth and keep going, even when his limbs started to go numb.

“I think I made a good impression,” he admitted. “ _I_ wasn’t the one to puke, and I beat Clarisse in a pull-up competition.”

Jason gave him an appreciative look. “I’m impressed. She looks seriously strong.”

Frank grabbed a cup from the end of the table, which magically filled with orange juice. He swirled it in the cup. “Not that impressive: she was doing them one-handed.”

“Oof.”

Frank heard some footsteps behind him, and cringed. _Speak of the devil._ He hoped she’d leave him alone, but unfortunately, he wasn’t that lucky. “Hey, cabins have to sit together. Come on Zhang, don’t tell me you’re sick of us already.”

“Not as sick as Sam was earlier,” he said, and she snort-laughed. He sent his friends one last _please help_ look before following Clarisse to the Ares table. 

***

After breakfast, Frank knew he had to try and get some alone time with a non-counselor camper, so he asked Sherman if there were any activities they could do. Sherman listed off a few, and struck by a sudden burst of inspiration, Frank said “Yeah, let’s check out the canoe lake.”

They grabbed a double canoe and dragged it out to the water, though Sherman made Frank wait for a minute while he helped a few of the younger Aphrodite campers with their boat. Frank couldn’t tell if he was just being nice or what, so he asked when he came back. 

“Oh, after the war the Ares and Hephaestus cabins made pacts to help out the Aphrodite cabin whenever they needed it,” he said easily, wading into the water and dragging their canoe behind him. “It’s mostly little stuff, like helping out the littles with activities, or letting ourselves be used as make-over dummies.”

“Make-over dummies?”

“Yeah, like five of the Aphrodite kids want to go to beauty school, and they need practice for when they submit their portfolios. I think there’s still a photo of Mark in drag floating around, I’ll see if I can find it for you.”

With that horrifying mental image, they climbed in the canoe and pushed off of shore. Sherman sat in front, and they were both facing the same way, so it wasn’t optimal for a conversation, but Frank didn’t give up yet. 

They canoed for a while. Frank’s arms were still sore from that morning’s work-out, but he pushed through, and eventually the pain dulled. The workout had been absolute Hell, but afterward the Ares campers had looked at him a little differently, like they finally accepted him as one of their own. Frank had heard about the type of bonding that happened on team sports, and figured this must’ve been what they were talking about: after you’ve sweat and bled and struggled with someone else, you had a permanent alliance. Suffering is truly the quickest way to make friends. 

After they’d been on the water for a long enough time, Sherman suggested they take a break, and they both rested their oars. He fumbled around for a minute before turning around on his bench, nearly tipping the boat over in the process. “So, what do you think of Camp Half-Blood so far?”

“I like it,” Frank answered, mostly-honest. “What about you?”

Sherman sighed nostalgically. “Man, I love this place. I’ve been a summer-camper since I was 11, and honestly, it never gets old.”

“A summer camper?” Frank asked, confused. “Where do you go when it’s not the summer?”

Sherman gave him a weird look. “Um, school? I usually stay with my grandmother in Chicago. My mom lives in D.C., but she works in the Pentagon and it keeps her pretty busy.”

“So you just… leave camp?”

“Uh, yeah? Why, you don’t?”

“I haven’t left camp since I got there five years ago,” Frank confessed, showing off his SPQR tattoo with it’s five stripes. “Wait, it’s July, right? So it’s almost time for me to get my next stripe. Jeez.”

Sherman leaned forward to get a better look at the barcode, and Frank extended his arm so he could see. “Is that a tattoo?”

“Yeah. Well, sorta. It’s applied with magic, don’t ask me to explain how, because I don’t really know.”

“And it’s permanent?”

“Yep,” Frank said, puffing out his chest. He was proud of his years in the legion. All the stripes were identical, but his favorite was the one representing his fifth year, during which the Battle of Mount Othrys had occurred. 

Sherman fingered his camp necklace, with it’s six beads. “That’s pretty hardcore. And not leaving camp for six years? I can’t imagine. We have some year-rounders, but they usually try to leave for short periods when they can, and for the most part the only year-rounders are the ones without families they can go stay with, or the ones with the strongest powers.”

That was the opening Frank had been looking for, and he jumped on it. “Percy must have been a year-rounder then.”

Sherman looked up at him, surprised. “Um.”

Frank leaned in conspiratorially. “Son of Poseidon and all. I bet he attracted a lot of monsters.”

Sherman was starting to look a little panicked, and Frank had only seen one thing make him nervous thus far. “Look man, I don’t think we should be talking about this. Clarisse said that we should pretend not to care about Percy.”

“So you do remember him.”

Sherman looked at him like he was stupid. It was a look he got a lot-- and Frank was pretty sure it wasn’t because he was _actually_ stupid, but that he hung around too many dramatic people. “Of _course_ I remember him, everyone who’s been here longer than 4 years does, and everyone else has heard the stories. He was a Big Three kid who took 4 quests in 4 years, and survived most of them. I don’t know what game the counselors are playing, but no matter what they do, they can’t pretend he never existed. It’s disrespectful to his memory-- the memory of a war hero.”

“Except he’s not a war hero,” Frank corrected. “He’s alive.”

Sherman looked around, like someone might be listening in on their conversation, despite the fact that they were on the water. “I don’t know about that.”

“Did you ever see the body?”

“Annabeth saw it. That’s good enough for me.”

“He wasn’t dead then, he only looked like it. Annabeth never got up close with the body; if she had, she’d know he was still alive.”

Sherman narrowed his eyes. “How do you know this?”

“He told me. He’s my best friend back at Camp Jupiter. He’s alive, he _survived._ Didn’t you see the video?”

Sherman leaned back, crossing his arms over the oar. “Video’s can be faked. People can lie. Besides, it didn’t even look that much like him. His hair was different, and his face shape, and the way he held himself… plus he was super distant, like he didn’t even care about Camp Half-Blood. I don’t know. I wanted to hope, but… Annabeth said it’s probably not him.”

Frank stared at him, stunned. “But it is Percy. He’s my best friend, I helped film the video, I know it wasn’t doctored. And-- he was captured four years ago, so of course he looks different.”

“I don’t know. I just-- let’s talk about something else. I don’t want to get in trouble with Clarisse.”

***

**Jason**

Jason was only at the breakfast table for another minute after Frank left before Travis came by, saying “There you are! Come on, this isn’t the Hermes table. Have some cabin pride, why don’t you?”

_You’re not my cabin,_ Jason wanted to complain, but he kept it to himself.

After breakfast was done, Jason decided to make use of his cabin mates, and asked Connor to belay for him again. He was still peeved that he hadn’t made it up the rock wall yet, and refused to be vanquished by this-- this stupid _obstacle course_. He’d seen a satyr bramble up it earlier without even a climbing harness, so how hard could it be?

It turned out, the answer was _hard._ It was just as bad as it’d been the day before, if not worse, because this time Jason was sore too. Still, he persisted, and made it two-thirds of the way to the top when he slipped and fell. Connor put tension on the rope to catch him, but then lowered him down so fast his stomach dropped. “Hey, what the--”

“Woah,” a new voice said, and suddenly there was a guy in Jason’s space, patting him down. Jason realized, belatedly, that he was very gently on fire. He must’ve slid past one of the lava patches in his initial fall, and that’s why Connor'd brought him down so quickly. 

His eyes widened. “Holy shi--”

“You’ll be fine,” the guy reassured. “Unless you wanted to roast yourself, in which case, sorry to spoil your fun.” He patted out most of the spots of fire, and then held his hand over one of Jason’s pant-cuffs, seeming to suck the fire up into his skin. 

“Whoa,” Jason said. “How--”

The guy straightened, giving him a lopsided grin. He was latino, with dark curly hair and a thin frame. His clothes were grease-splattered and lightly singed, like maybe he’d been climbing on the other side of the rock wall and had an encounter with the lava too. The only thing that disproved that theory was that instead of having a climbing harness around his waist, he had a tool belt. “My dad’s Hephestus,” he said casually. “Fire tends not to bother me.”

Jason was still a little in awe. “Do all Hephestus kids have fire powers?” He didn’t know any children of Vulcan with fire powers, but maybe Hephestus was different?

But the guy just shook his head. “Nah, it’s just me. I’m Leo, by the way.”

Jason shook his outstretched hand. “Jason.”

Leo gave him an intrigued look. “You’re new, right? Because I swear I haven’t seen you before--”

“I’m one of the ambassadors?” Jason tried. When that didn’t do anything, he added “From New Rome?”  
“Oh, right!” Leo said, pulling his hand back a little quickly. “Sorry, I forgot that was… happening. Ignore me, it’s been like, three days since I’ve slept. I actually just got back from-- the forge. On my way to Cabin 9 now.”

“I thought the forge was attached to Cabin 9?”

“Potato-potato. Again, I haven’t slept in three days, I get confused. Well, it was nice meeting you! Let’s talk sometime later, when I’m a little more lucid.”

“Sure,” Jason said easily. “Oh and Leo-- there’s a leaf in your hair. Is that from the woods?”

Leo blinked at him. “What woods? What leaf?” The leaf in his hair burst into flames, disintegrating into ash. “See you later!”  
“Uh-huh,” Jason said, crossing his arms. There was _definitely_ something weird going on with that kid, but for the moment, Jason was too high on adrenaline, and amused by leaf-mayhem, to really care. 

***

As Jason was cleaning up his climbing gear, he noticed Hazel across the way, walking with the Aphrodite girl, Piper. “Hey, Hazel!” He shouted, but before he could try again Connor yanked him back by the climbing harness.

“Let’s just give them some space,” he suggested, looping the rope.

“What? I was just going to say hi.” Jason was getting really tired of the Greeks acting so strange. He looked across the way to where Hazel and Piper were, but Hazel didn’t seem to have heard him. Piper did though, and flashed him a playful smile before putting an arm around Hazel’s shoulder and leading her into the woods-- away from him. 

His heart dropped. This wasn’t good. He didn’t know what it was about Piper, but he didn’t trust her. Actually, he knew what it was-- it was the way she’d flirted with him when he first arrived at camp. There was something just so ingenuine about it, like she was testing the waters, seeing what was repricated and what wasn’t… whatever it was, it made Jason cringe. He didn’t want to leave Hazel alone with her. 

“Don’t worry about her, Piper just wants to talk,” Connor snarked. “It’s no big deal.”

There was almost _definitely_ something he wasn’t telling him, but Jason couldn’t think how to ask. _She’ll be fine,_ he reminded himself. He felt a strange sense of protectiveness over Hazel. He was the leader of this quest, so if any of them got hurt, it was on him. Reyna was counting on him to protect the others. Besides, it didn’t help that Hazel was the youngest, the newest to the demigod lifestyle, and struggling with her own health issues right now. He didn’t want anything to happen to her. 

But alas, he knew that unless he wanted to make a scene, he was better off leaving it alone. _She’s just with an Aphrodite kid,_ he reminded himself. _She’ll be fine._

It was a good reminder though. He wasn’t on this quest to practice rock climbing, he was here for a more important reason. 

“I met Annabeth yesterday,” he said. “She was nice.”

Connor snorted. “Oh, I bet she was.”

“She was kind of pissed you guys invited us here without telling her, though,” Jason said, purposefully trying to push his buttons. “I would think that the daughter of Athena would have a greater role in camp strategy sessions. Why’d you leave her out of it?”

“We didn’t leave her out of it, she left,” Connor objected. “Besides, she wasn’t being helpful.”

“How so?”

Connor gave him a nervous look. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Doesn’t it?” Jason pushed. “Connor, I have a million questions, and no one’s answering any of them. You saw the video we sent you with Percy in it, right?”

“Yeah, obviously.”

“Then how come no one wants to know about Percy? How come you invited us here on short notice, so we wouldn’t have time to make any plans of our own? How come you left the daughter of wisdom out of the decision making?”

“Hey, I don’t have to tell you anything,” Connor complained. “You’re making a bunch of crazy accusations, and--”

He was trying to diffuse the tension, Jason noted. He wasn’t going to let him. “Nico says the counselors are purposefully keeping my friends and I apart. Tell me that’s not what you just did five seconds ago.”

“You--”

“Are we here for a peace agreement or not?” Jason insisted. “Because if I didn’t know better, I’d say this felt like a divide and conquer strategy. You keep my friends and I apart, you watch us, and then you decide whether or not you can _actually_ trust us. My question is, what happens if you decide you can’t--”

In the blink of an eye, Connor drew his sword and slammed Jason back against the rock wall. He hit one of the hand-holds hard, surprised at the force behind the shove, but then again, this _is_ what he’d wanted: push Connor until he lost his cool, collected demeanor, and tell Jason the _truth._

Jason’s coin felt warm in his pocket, ready to be activated. He ignored it. The boy in front of him was the 17-year old son of Hermes, about six inches shorter than him, more trained in thievery than weaponry, and Jason wasn’t afraid.

“I would do _anything_ to protect my camp,” Connor spat. “Even kill you.”

“I bet you would,” Jason said, voice low. “But not yet. You know the war you’ll start if you kill me.”

“Doesn’t matter. If you and your spy friends are planning on starting a war anyways, it makes no difference.”

_There it is._ That’s the truth Jason had been waiting for: the counselors were acting so strange because they thought Jason and his friends were spies. They must’ve figured the peace treaty thing was a ruse, a lie to get them to meet with their defenses down. But the Greeks weren’t idiots, and they’d had enough betrayal already for one year. Their defenses were raised from the start. 

Jason took Connor’s hand, the one that was holding the sword to his neck, and forced it down and away. “I am not your enemy,” he said seriously. “We are here for peace. We are _only_ here for peace.”

Connor was still scowling as he assessed his face, but he seemed to be making some sort of realization. Jason never found out what it was though, because just then a camper ran by, announcing “Emergency counselor meeting in the Big House!”

“I have to go,” Connor announced. He was still scowling as he turned away, but the fact that he turned his back at all told Jason everything he needed to know. 

***

As soon as Connor was gone, Jason ran to find his friends. It didn’t take long, and he found Hazel and Frank talking just outside the woods, both panicked. “Hey,” Jason said. “Hazel, are you okay?”

  
“Piper has some sort of magic,” she said, eyes huge. “She used it on me, asked me about our intentions at camp. I told her we were just here for peace, but she kept _asking_ me, like she didn’t believe it. I don’t think they trust us about our quest.”

“They don’t,” Jason confirmed. “I got Connor to talk. It sounds like a lot of the counselors just straight up think we’re spies that came here to scout the camp before declaring war.”

“I just don’t understand why they would think that! We have Percy, do they think he’s turned against them?”

Jason shook his head. “No, they can’t. Percy would never do that.”

“I asked Sherman about it,” Frank said. “He said that there’s a rumor among the counselors that Percy isn’t alive, and we just faked the footage or something. That’s why everyone is acting like they barely remember Percy-- they think it’s a trap, and they’re trying to save their skin. It almost makes sense. We could’ve heard about Percy from somewhere else, and then faked that he was alive to convince them to make an alliance with us, only to stab them in the back.”

“Except Percy really is alive,” Jason argued. “So they’re just making up these conspiracies from thin air.”

Hazel and Frank exchanged a look. “That’s probably the case,” Hazel admitted. “Unless… Jason, are you sure Camp Jupiter wants peace?”

Jason felt both Hazel and Frank's eyes on him like spotlights. "Why are you asking me?"

"You're closer to Reyna than either of us," Frank said. "If anyone would know…"

"Guys, she wants _peace,_ " Jason pleaded. "She has been working towards this potential union for years. If she wanted a war, she would have been brewing hate against the Greek demigods, not tolerance. All she wants is for this peace treaty to be successful."

Frank looked a little guilty. "Alright, I believe you. But we need to get the Greeks to see the truth, otherwise we’ve failed our mission.”

 _Gods, this is fucked,_ Jason thought. This quest was starting to make his earlier one with the sea serpent feel like a piece of cake. “We have to convince them. We have to get all of the counselors together and--”

“They’re together right now,” Hazel interrupted. 

“Let’s go,” Frank agreed. “The longer we wait, the longer they have to build up their distrust. We have to go now.”

Jason wished they could take longer to plan, maybe draw a few diagrams first, but he knew Frank was right. “Alright. Let’s go.”

***

**Frank**

The Big House was all the way across camp, so while the other’s jogged, Frank turned into a bird and flew. He was there in all of thirty seconds, and circled the building once before figuring out what room the counselors were in, and landing on the windowsill outside it. Even with the window closed, he could hear the commotion going on inside. 

All 20-or-so counselors were gathered around a ping-pong table, most sitting, though a few standing. Frank picked out Travis and Connor in the corner, talking together in hushed tones; the Hephestus counselor Beckendorf that he hadn’t yet met, but had seen at breakfast, standing against one wall and looking grave; Clarisse sitting on the left side of the table, arms crossed; and of course, the center of attention. Annabeth stood on the right side of the table, wearing an orange camp shirt, a rolled up pair of jean shorts, and sneakers. With her turned like she was, Frank could see the entirety of her left arm, covered in raised purple poison scars. She had a knife strapped to her belt, and a large sword strapped to her back, and by the looks of it, she was shouting at Piper. “I refuse to sit around and wait for an attack! You can’t tell me they’re being honest when there is absolutely no proof to support it, and all the proof in the world to show that they’re lying! It’s bad enough you let them into our camp, but to suggest they actually want a peace agreement--”

“I used my charmspeak on the girl,” Piper said, notably more level-headed, “And she continued to tell the exact same story. When they first got here, I was with you Annabeth, but the charmspeak doesn’t lie. We have to at least entertain the possibility--”

“That what? They faked a video of Percy being alive because they wanted _peace?_ If they knew enough about us to know the effect that that video had, they would know that seeing his face again wouldn’t radicalize us, but subdue us. They _wanted_ us subdued, trapped in our own grief, so they could take advantage and--”

“Annabeth,” Nico said, stepping in. “You know what you’re saying is crazy. I told you, Percy’s alive. I saw him for myself. Camp Jupiter wouldn’t--”

“Were you the one to tell them about Percy?” Annabeth said, turning on him. “Because they had to find out about him from somewhere.”

Nico looked horrified. “What? No! I would never do that, Camp Half-Blood is my home. I told you, the last time I went to visit, Percy was just _there._ He found his way by himself.”

“Then they tricked you too,” Annabeth accused. “I know Percy better than anyone at this table. If your story is true, and he actually was held captive on Luke’s ship, then the second he got off he would’ve come _home.”_

“I told you, he was ashamed,” Nico insisted. “He knew how much it’d hurt us to come back.”

“Bullshit,” Annabeth snapped. “That’s just another lie told to you by deceitful Romans--”

Just then, Jason and Hazel caught up, coming to a stop in front of the Big House. Frank flew over to them, turning back into a human and landing beside them. “Good news, we were right. Bad news, they’re fighting, and Annabeth is _not_ on our side.”

“Time to storm the gates?” Jason asked, and Frank nodded. 

“Time to storm the gates,” he agreed, and together they charged in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is already written and deadass might be my favorite chapter so far :D 
> 
> In this chapter:  
> \- Jason/Hazel/Frank met in the Hades cabin to discuss their suspicions, as well as discuss Annabeth  
> \- Jason flew back to his cabin and overheard Travis and Connor's conversation about him (+him looking like Luke 😳)  
> \- Breakfast (Jason slept badly, Frank slept badly and woke up early to do hell vomit conditioning)  
> \- Frank and Sherman canoeing (+ helping out Aphrodite kids, talking about tattoos vs camp necklaces, and Sherman spilling the truth about Percy)  
> \- Jason rock climbing and meeting Leo!!!  
> \- Jason's confrontation with Connor (great big three energy there Jason, truly)  
> \- Emergency counselor meeting and Jason/Frank/Hazel realizing what was going on  
> \- Annabeth freaking out at counselor meeting, and the ambassadors getting ready to storm the castle
> 
> I hope you liked this chapter!! These last few chapters have been really hard to write, because so much is going on and there's so many new things to introduce, so they take a lot of time to write and re-write, but I think after this chapter ill be able to put new chapters out a lot more quickly again!
> 
> In other news, I loved the moment where Jason was like "Connor is short and a pick-pocket, I'm not afraid" and he doesn't even draw his sword. When I read this to my girlfriend however, she didn't think so, and instead said "he should be afraid, Connor is a pickpocket and his sword looks like money", which is honestly hilarious 😂
> 
> What did you guys think? What are your thoughts on the conspiracy? What are your thoughts on on Connor and Jason's interaction, and on the way Annabeth was acting? Why do you think Leo was being so weird?
> 
> Please comment and let me know what you thought, and have a great day!!
> 
> (And get hyped for the next chapter!!! Shit goes down in the best possible way. Hint: it has to do with charmspeak.)


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys I fucking adore this chapter and I hope you all do too.

Frank could hear the yelling all the way down the hallway. They ran through the living room and passed the kitchen, where Chiron was sitting behind the table, drinking some tea. He had headphones on, like he was purposefully drowning out the sounds of fighting, and he waved at them pleasantly. 

_There’s the adult supervision,_ Frank thought darkly, and they kept running. 

There was no question which door led to the meeting room. They just followed the sound of Annabeth’s voice, insisting “It’s a trap!”

“It might not be,” Connor spoke up. “Maybe--”

“They’re manipulating you!”

Frank shoved the door open, and the three of them pushed inside. Immediately all conversation stopped. A couple campers reached for their weapons, but Annabeth just gave them a glare dark enough to send them straight to tartarus. She turned back to her brethren, recovering from any surprise she may have felt instantly. “See? They were spying on us right now, too. Piper, what was that you were saying about trusting them?”

Piper pursed her lips, looking like she had some very harsh words she wanted to share with Annabeth at that exact moment, but somehow managing to keep them to herself. “Hey guys. Do you need something?”

“Uh, yeah,” Jason said smartly. “We need you to get over your trust issues and believe us.”

“Ha!” Annabeth said, which didn’t make her look less crazy. 

“We aren’t you enemies,” Jason persisted. “All we want is to make peace between the camps, just like Nico said. He led you in the Titan War, you really think he would lead you astray now?”

That caused some mumbling. Despite their reservations, the Greeks had close bonds with each other, the type of bonds forged through lots of sacrifice, heart-ache, and all around hurt. They wouldn’t be so quick to turn against their former leader in combat.

Annabeth narrowed her eyes at them. “We don’t think Nico led us astray, we think the Romans led _him_ astray. What proof do you have to the contrary?”

“You’re spouting conspiracy theories,” Jason accused, and Frank bit his lip. Yeah Jason, way to be _less_ inflammatory. “Seriously, does anyone actually believe her?”

“I believe her,” one kid said, standing up. Frank remembered him only because he had an interesting mom: he was Damien, son of Nemesis. “Why would we want peace with a bunch of dusty Romans anyway? War is the only option.”

“War is a horrible option,” Jason objected. “If the two camps can make peace with each other, we can help when one of us is in danger.”

“I had a dream about the Battle of the Labyrinth,” Frank said, projecting his voice. If he’d wanted to kill the mood, there was nothing he could’ve said to kill it faster. “I saw the decimation your camp endured. If we’d had an alliance back then, we could’ve sent reinforcements. Greek and Roman demigods have been kept apart for decades because our leaders were too afraid of us fighting. But what if instead of fighting each other, we banded together to fight _our_ actual enemies?”

Frank could tell he was starting to sway the opinion of the counselors. Many of them wouldn’t look at Annabeth, and the ones who had seemed to support her now looked unsure. 

Annabeth stomped over to where Jason was standing, getting in his face. “You say you don’t want a war, but you have no proof. For all we know, every word coming out of your mouths could be lies. Camp Jupiter could have been spying us for years without our knowledge; they could’ve even helped the Titans in the invasion of Camp Half-Blood. After all, nearly a third of Kronos’ army was demigods; not all of them were Camp Half-Blood defectors. Maybe Camp Jupiter supplied them.”

Jason didn’t say anything for a few long moments. Annabeth smirked up at him, like she was sure she had won. 

Hazel spoke, her soft voice somehow filling the entire room. “We aren’t lying. Tell us what we need to do to prove it.”

Across the ping-pong table, Piper’s expression shifted, and she turned to her co-counselor, speaking quietly. “We could try the Drew Method.”

“Piper, no,” Drew said, looking genuinely surprised. “You were the one to make me promise not to do that anymore. You can’t seriously be suggesting it.”

Annabeth huffed and stepped away from Jason, returning to her original seat and sitting down, arms crossed. “If you think it’ll work, you should do it. Anything to show them for what they actually are.”

Frank frowned. “What’s the Drew Method?”

Piper turned to him. “It’s a method Drew developed, using a mixture of charmspeak and powerful love magic. Basically, it would involve me getting in your space and asking questions. I would start by asking a secret, and then after your defenses were down, I’d start asking about your camp and your intentions here. You would be unable to lie.”

“It’s incredibly invasive,” Drew insisted, crossing her arms. “I still can’t believe I used to do that to people.”

It sounded like a basis lie-detector test, which didn’t seem to be too invasive to Frank. Either way, he was willing to try it. He would do just about anything at this point to gain the campers’ trust; the quest depended on it. “But it’d work? After we did that, you’d be able to trust us?”

Beckendorf seemed to be considering this. “You wouldn’t be able to lie. I think we would have to trust you-- assuming your story stays the same, and you actually haven’t been lying to us.”

“Unlikely,” Annabeth muttered. 

Frank looked to Jason. He was worried if the magic was as powerful as they said, it might cause them to say something they regretted. But then again, this was the best option they had. Even if they said something embarrassing, it would be worth it for the truth, right?

“We need to discuss,” Jason decided.

Piper waved a hand. “You can go into the hall to do that. It’ll give you some privacy.”

The three of them did as directed, leaving the room to gather in the hall, speaking low. Jason started. “What do you guys think?”

“I don’t like it, but I think it’s necessary,” Hazel said, golden eyes intense. “If this is what it takes to gain their trust, I’m willing to do it.”

Jason looked to Frank. “What about you?”

Frank shrugged. He was nervous, but he did his best to push it aside. “It can’t be that bad. It’s just Aphrodite magic. Venus kids have notoriously weak powers; I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

“I have a feeling you might eat those words later, but okay,” Jason said, and they broke apart. Then went back into the meeting room, and Jason announced “Okay, we’ll do it. We have nothing to hide. But-- we want insurance. If all three of us are going to be tested, we want one of you to do the same. It’s only fair.”

“Why would we need to be tested?” Damien asked, irritated. 

“This way, we can show our goodwill and that we have honorable intentions too,” Piper said. “Personally, I’m all for it. Any volunteers?”

  
To Frank’s surprise, Clarisse stepped forward. “I’ll do it.”

“Great. Let’s get set up: Frank, you’ll go first.”

  
***

Frank wasn’t so sure about this. 

They moved to the living room to have more space, and around half of the councilors left, the ones who weren’t too personally invested, or just had other duties to attend to that they’d left in favor of the emergency meeting. The campers that remained included Nico, the Iris counselor, Will, Damien, Travis and Conner, Katie Gardner, Clarisse, Beckendorf, Drew, and Piper. Annabeth was also there, though she sat at one of the couches in the back corner, scribbling in a notebook and doing her best to look above it all. 

A chair had been pulled to the center of the room, which is where Frank sat now. Piper was sitting on his lap, legs straddling his waist, and talking to someone behind him. This wasn’t exactly what Frank had expected when she’d called the procedure _invasive,_ but it was too late to back out now-- even if he just _knew_ his face was bright red. He was pretty sure this was the closest he’d ever been to a girl, and it didn’t help that Piper was really pretty-- like _ethereally_ pretty. Every time he met her eyes, he felt the instinctive urge to look away, her gaze too beautiful and intense. 

_Venus kids are notoriously weak,_ he reminded himself. _She’s going to use some basic magic on me and ask a few questions just to prove that everything I’ve said so far was truthful. It’ll be fine._

Finally, the other campers quieted down, and Piper looked back at him, her voice going impossibly soft. “Okay Frank, you ready?” He grunted in assent, and she laughed lightly. “Alright. I need you to look me in the eyes, can you do that for me?”

He could. He looked up, meeting her gaze. Her eyes were slightly crinkled in the corners, and her irises were full of color, like a kaleidoscope. Frank gulped. 

Piper cupped his cheek in her hand, squeezing gently. “You have really beautiful eyes.”

“Uh-- you too,” Frank said, slightly confused. What was he doing again? Why was she on his lap, why was she smiling like that? 

Piper took his hands, which he’d been keeping respectfully to himself, and placed them on her sides, letting him hold onto her. “It’s alright, you can touch me. Frank, I have a question for you: do you think you could ever fall in love with me?”

Frank’s mouth felt strangely dry. He couldn’t pull his eyes away from hers. “Yes,” he said, completely sure. Heck, he might’ve already been in love with her. 

“That’s so sweet,” she hummed, stroking his cheekbone with her thumb. “I think I could fall in love with you too.”

“We could run away together,” Frank offered. He wanted to; he’d barely met this girl, but he felt like he’d known her all his life. He knew, just _knew,_ she was his soulmate. 

Fuck falling in love-- he’d already fallen, and he’d fallen hard. 

She just kept smiling. “Frank, do you want to tell me a secret? Something just for me-- something you’ve never told anyone before. I know there’s something, something that’s been weighing heavy on your chest. Your friends don’t even know about it, but you know. Do you have it in your mind?”

As she spoke, the secret formed in Frank’s mind-- something he’d been thinking about more lately, something he tried to forget. It wasn’t bad, just embarrassing, and he didn’t want to share it and make things awkward, so he kept it to himself. But this wasn’t anyone else, this was Piper. He’d trust her with anything. “Yes.”

She leaned closer, their noses almost touching. “Tell me.”

“I had a crush on Reyna for the first two years at camp,” he said, feeling instant relief as soon as he’d said it. 

“Who’s Reyna?”

Was she jealous? She had to know she was the only girl for him. “The praeter of New Rome. And-- and Jason’s girlfriend.”

There was some muttering behind him, and he almost turned to look, but Piper cupped his jaw with both hands, keeping him still. “Don’t look at them, look at me.”

He sighed nostalgically. “I’m looking.”

“I’m going to ask you a few more questions Frank. Only tell me the truth-- don’t lie about anything, not even a lie by omission. Can you do that for me?”

“ _Yes._ ”

Piper sat back a little, and Frank tightened his grip on her waist, scared she’d fall off. She didn’t though, and instead gave him another little smile, then started asking him questions. He answered, the truth flowing off his lips without effort. He hardly even heard what she said, too focused on her. Her voice was so sweet and admiring, but also reserved. She had walls up, and Frank wanted to be the one to break them down. He wanted to be her _everything._

So he answered the questions honestly, and she kept asking them. It started with ones about him, like _Have you lied to anyone at camp before, about things like your name, your rank, your Cohort?_

No.

_Have you done anything at this camp you’ve tried to keep a secret about?_

Yes. We had a secret meeting last night to talk about you guys.

_What’d you talk about?_

We were trying to figure out why you were all trying to keep us separated. 

Piper moved on then, to talk about the quest instead. _Why are you here at our camp?_

We’re on a quest for peace. 

_Are you looking at our defenses?_

No.

_Do the Romans want to invade Camp Half-Blood?_

Frank had to hesitate on this one, unsure what the right answer was, but then Piper started stroking his cheek again and the answer poured out of him: Some of them do, but the majority don’t. The Senate has come to an agreement that the peace treaty is the best option. 

_Do you think the peace treaty is the best option?_

Yes. No one needs a war. 

_Tell me more._

You’re gorgeous. I want to swim in your eyes.

_Tell me more about why you think neither camp needs a war?_

I love Camp Jupiter, it’s my home. I don’t want anything bad to happen to anyone there. And I’ve had dreams of Camp Half-Blood. Percy describes it as his home. It’s a safe place for demigods; I want it to stay a safe place. 

Piper seemed to hesitate at this, and Frank was worried. Did he say something to upset her? He couldn’t do that. 

Thankfully, before he could ask, she moved on. _Is Percy alive?_

Yes. 

_Is it actually Percy Jackson, the son of Poseidon and former member of this camp?_

I believe so.

_Do you have any reason to believe it’s not him?_

No. He is my best friend. I trust what he tells me. I love him a lot. 

_How do you believe he survived?_

I can’t tell you. 

_Why not?_

It’s… private. Personal. 

_Tell me the truth._

He was captured on Luke’s ship, the Princess Andromeda. They kept him alive for entertainment, and revenge. He was tortured and abused. Eventually, after the war he escaped and was brought to the Roman camp by his father, Poseidon.

_And this is the truth?_

Yes.

After that, Piper only had a few more questions, and then she told him to look away. He looked down at his lap, taking his hands off her and fiddling with them there. He would never look at her again unless she asked him to. 

“Frank, you don’t have to listen to me anymore. You’re in the living room of the Big House at Camp Half-Blood, with your friends, Jason and Hazel. I want you to come back to reality. You’ll be okay.”

He blinked a few times, and suddenly the world came back into vivid definition. He tried to stand, nearly lurching Piper off his lap, but managed to stop himself at the last moment. Piper climbed off, and he jumped to his feet, marching over to where Jason and Hazel were. Before he could get there, the world lurched, everything turning ultra-violet, and he collapsed. 

“Frank!” Jason yelled, and he felt hands on him, helping him up. At least, he thought it was up. 

He felt sick.

He was propped up, and his head was pushed in between his knees. He breathed harshly for a few minutes, eyes squeezed shut as his vision danced with spots. What had happened-- what did she do to him?

“Piper, what the fuck?” Jason said, somewhere behind Frank. That must have been his hand on his back. 

“I’m sorry,” she defended. “I told you, it’s invasive. But he’ll be fine.”

“I swear to all the gods, if he’s not I’ll--”

Frank wheezed. He couldn’t let Jason do this. “No-- no-- fine. Fine. Just--” he squeezed his eyes shut again. “Too many colors.”

“You shouldn’t have used that much power,” Drew chided. “You overwhelmed him.”

“Sorry. I thought it’d be harder to get into his head. No offense.”

Frank felt a fresh wave of nausea, and held a hand over his mouth. 

They gave him a few more minutes to recover, then finally the feeling of sickness died down, and he was able to stand. “I’m alright. I’m--”

“Sit down,” Hazel said, and she didn’t even need charmspeak. She pulled over a folding chair, and he dropped into it. 

Jason gave him a worried look. “Should I not do it?”

Frank let out a shaky breath. “You can do it. It’s-- it’s not that bad, during. It’s just the after that sucks. If Piper will go lighter on you, you’ll probably be fine.”

Jason looked at her. “Do you promise to go lighter?”

“I promise to do my best.”

Jason looked hesitant, but agreed, and moved over to sit in the chair Frank had vacated. 

***

“Is it bad?” Hazel whispered, still looking at Frank with concern. 

He scowled. Beckendorf had grabbed him a blanket, which he had wrapped around him now. “It’s not that bad. She just… gets inside your head, makes you think you love her.”

She sucked in her lips. “You said some pretty embarrassing things.”

“Just wait ‘til it’s your turn.”

In the middle of the room, Piper climbed onto Jason’s lap, and he put his hands on her waist automatically, looking like this was more or less normal for him. “I don’t love you,” he said to start out with, glaring at her. 

“That’s alright,” Piper said, her voice filling with honey. “I only want you to be true to yourself.”

Within a minute, he was fully under her spell, babbling about how he loved her and wanted to get married. Piper’s smile was a little cocky when she said “Jason, how about you tell me a secret? Something just for me.”

Jason didn’t even hesitate. “I don’t want to be a hero. I really just want to be a stay-at-home dad.”

“With Reyna?”

He blinked at her dopily. “With anyone. Everyone.”

“You’re so sweet.”

Jason nuzzled into her touch, almost purring. 

She asked him the same series of questions she’d asked Frank, though Frank was a little more present this time, and could actually understand what was being asked. Luckily, their answers were consistent, and everything checked out. 

Then Piper asked him about Percy. “I believe he is exactly who he says he is,” Jason answered, completely mesmerized by her. 

“Yeah? Tell me about him.”

“He’s got a really really pretty dick,” Jason said, and Frank covered his mouth. _Gods of Olympus,_ they didn’t need this right now. “It’s like, the prettiest dick you’ve ever seen. Like mine’s nice, and it gets the job done, if you know what I mean, but his--”

“Thank you, Jason,” Piper said, and he shut up happily. “What about his personality?”

Jason’s bottom lip butted-out, giving him a bit of a puppy dog face. “He’s really sad. It makes me sad. I just want him to be happy.”

“What else?”

Jason had to consider this. “He’s nice. I mean, he isn’t really, he’s actually really mean, but he-- he’s sweet. He’s a sweetheart. I love him.”

“It sounds like a lot of people love him. That’s what Frank said too. What do you think about Frank and Hazel?”

“I love them too,” he said, frowning as if it was obvious. “They’re great. My best friends.”

When she eventually released her powerful hold on him, he just blinked a couple times, looking confused. He stumbled as he walked to Frank and Hazel, but Frank was already there, helping him stay standing. “Are you alright? Do you think you’re going to throw up?”

He just kept blinking, like there was something in his eyes. “No, no, I just… headrush. That’s all.”

Frank let him take his seat, keeping one hand on his shoulder just in case. 

Piper exhaled, rubbing her hands together, and Drew checked in on her. “Are you going to be okay? Because if you need me to fill in--”

“I’ll be fine,” Piper promised, giving her a reassuring smile. “We’re halfway done, almost there.”

Hazel went next. Frank wasn’t sure if Piper would sit on her lap too, but she did. Hazel fell for her almost immediately, leaning forward and tilting her head up to look at Piper with big eyes, lips slightly parted. It was the most vulnerable Frank had ever seen her, and he had the strange urge to look away, give her privacy. 

“Hi sweetheart,” Piper murmured, brushing some of Hazel’s curls behind her ear. “You’re stunning, you know that, right?”

Hazel looked a little confused. “Maybe?”

“Well, you are.”

Things went along relatively smoothly, until Piper asked Hazel for her secret, and Hazel started to waver. “I don’t want to say. Nico asked me not to tell anybody.”

“You should tell me,” Piper pressed, hand on Hazel’s neck comfortingly. “You can tell me anything.”

Hazel still struggled, but soon enough, she gave in. Frank had originally thought she’d share the secret of her narcolepsy, but based on what she was saying now, she was about to say something that only she and Nico knew. Frank didn’t even have a guess.

Which was probably good, because no way in a million years would he have guessed _this:_ “My name is Hazel Levesque, daughter of Marie Levesque. I was born in 1928, and I died in 1942 in Alaska, buried alive beside my mother. Earlier this year, Nico found me in the Fields of Asphodel, and together he and my father resurrected me.”

All of the campers started talking to each other in hush voices, but Frank stayed quiet, not sure what to say. That was crazy-- was Hazel lying? Did something go wrong with the magic?

Piper didn’t seem so sure either. She looked over Hazel’s shoulder, making eye contact with Nico and mouthing _is that true?_ Nico bit his lip, clearly unhappy with this situation, but nodded. 

“Thank you for telling me,” Piper said. 

Hazel’s interview finished sooner than Jason’s, and she confirmed all of their previous answers: yes, they were on a mission of peace; no, they didn’t want a war; yes, they believed Percy Jackson was alive.

When she was done, Frank was already by her chair, supporting her as she walked over. “Fine,” she murmured, eyes drooping. “I’m… it’s alright.”

It had already been a traumatic enough day, but they still had one more to go. Clarisse sat down, manspreading, and Piper delicately climbed onto her lap, wrapping her arms loosely around Clarisse’s neck. She started, and though she didn’t seem to be pushing the love angle very hard, Clarisse still ended up looking at her fondly. They made an interesting pair-- Clarisse with her large, muscular form, like a rugby player, and Piper with her smaller, more feminine frame. Unlike the others, Clarisse only kept one hand on Piper’s waist, wrapped all the way around to support her, while her other hand came up, cupping Piper’s face for a change. She looked completely mesmerized by her, and if Frank were to see them without context, he would have assumed they were lovers. 

When Piper got the secret part, Clarisse gave it up readily. “I have a secret iPod shuffle.”

“Embarrassing,” Travis Stoll said, but neither of the girls seemed to notice. 

“It has all of Taylor Swift’s songs on it,” Clarisse admitted. “I just really like her music. I feel like she puts a lot of things I can’t express into words. I just feel like I have to be so big and mean all the time, but I feel a lot more things than just anger.”

“I know you do,” Piper said softly. “You feel a lot of grief too, don’t you Clarisse?”

“I do,” she agreed mournfully.

“Who for?”

“You’re sister, Selena Bauregard,” Clarisse confessed. “Her death was my fault. It weighs heavily on my conscience.”

“I’m sorry,” Piper whispered, and she nodded, grateful.

Piper then moved into asking more directed questions. Clarisse confirmed that Camp Half-Blood didn’t want a war; they were scared; they didn’t trust anyone who could possibly be a spy. But she also said she didn’t believe the ambassadors were spies; she trusted them; she wanted to believe them. She wanted the peace agreement to be signed, and she thought most campers felt the same. 

“What do you think of the ambassadors?” Piper asked, and Clarisse pulled her tighter, sighing longly. 

“I don’t care much about the Jupiter, or Pluto kids. But I care about Frank a lot. I trust him; he’s a child of Ares, just like me. I’ll stand by him in whatever ways I can.”

Frank felt oddly touched. It seemed like he really _had_ proved himself to the Ares cabin that morning.

When Piper freed Clarisse from the magic, Beckendorf was the one to help her to the couch. She immediately plopped down next to Will, who wrapped an arm around her, letting her rest her head on his shoulder. It was a little awkward, since she was so much bigger than him, but he made it work.

Annabeth sat at the other end of the couch, and gave the ambassadors a tired, but interested look. It wasn’t a smile, or an open-armed hug but it was something. 

Piper tried to walk away from the center of the room, but stopped, leaning against the chair heavily. 

“Magical exhaustion,” Drew muttered, going to her side. “Beckendorf, help me carry her. We need to get her back to the cabin.”

“Have you ever done that to four people at once?” Beckendorf asked as he helped, a little horrified. 

“No, but I don’t think I could,” Drew answered. “Mom really blessed her. She had to be the most powerful Aphrodite kid in generations.”

Beckendorf scooped Piper into his arms, and she leaned against him, trusting him whole-heartedly. “Evil magic,” she muttered. “Manipulative. Hate it.”

“You did great,” Drew reassured, before giving Beckendporf a slightly concerned look. “Someone should call Rachel. Piper will want to see her when she wakes up.”

They left then, and Frank felt his eyelids start to droop. He was exhausted. 

Nico came over, a solemn look on his face. “You three need to rest. We can talk more about the peace treaty later; after this, I’m sure no one will object to it.” He turned around, giving Annabeth a dark look, and she raised her hands in surrender. “Do you guys want help back to your cabins?”

“Too much walking,” Jason objected. “Hard floor. Here is good.”

Nico rolled his eyes. “At least go over to the couches.”

The remaining demigods got out of the way so they could stagger over to the couches, where they collapsed in a dog-pile. Frank closed his eyes, just focusing on his breathing for a minute, and then passed out. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter:  
> \- Storming The Castle (and let's not sleep on Chiron in the kitchen jamming to his tunes during the in-fighting)  
> \- The whole fight between the counselors, with Annabeth at the head  
> \- The Drew Method(TM)-- used on Frank, Jason, and Hazel
> 
> Look. _Look_. I hope you guys think this chapter is as interesting and hilarious as I do, because i was cracking up writing it, and again editing it, and again reading it later... 
> 
> Look, people sleep on Piper's powers too much. Sure, they got somewhat repetitive in the original series, but we need to ignore that and acknowledge how easily Piper could seduce literally whoever she wanted and get them to tell her anything. We should all be glad she isn't bent on world domination, because she could get nuclear codes like that. 
> 
> In case you missed it: Piper had to ask them each a secret at the beginning to get them to let their guards down. It doesn't have to be their biggest secret, just something they've been thinking about lately and purposefully not telling people. They were as follows:  
> \- Frank: for his first 2 years at camp, he had a crush on Reyna (kept secret because it could potentially make things awkward with Jason)  
> \- Jason: he doesn't want to be a hero and really just wants to be a stay at home dad ("for Reyna?" "For... anyone. Everyone. *sigh*")  
> \- Hazel: the secret about dying and coming back to life illegally  
> \- Clarisse: she has a secret ipod with Taylor Swift on it, because she has Emotions. 
> 
> Please comment and let me know what you thought! Have a great day :D


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annabeth's POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is pretty uneditted, so I hope it's mostly alright. I just wanted to post it and get her out in the world :>

**Annabeth**

Annabeth found out about the Roman camp at the same time as everyone else did: when the video with Percy was aired for the whole camp to see. And that was the start to her extraordinary shitty week. 

Ever since the Titan War, Annabeth had been doing fine. The War, which had started with the Battle of the Labyrinth and ended with the Battle of Manhattan, had taught her a lot of valuable lessons, but above all, it taught her to be efficient. Nico had been the leader, the prophesied Big Three child, but Annabeth had been the chief strategist. All day, every day, she had things to do, people to talk with, meetings to attend. At the same time, she was doing more training than ever before, and trying to manage her own grief, which threatened to overtake her at every moment. She learned to deal with it. 

And then, everything culminated into a week straight of fighting, and one final battle on Mount Olympus. It was just Annabeth, Nico, Ethan, and Kronos/Luke. Then Kronos killed Ethan, and it was just the three of them. Then Kronos hit Nico, and he collapsed across the room from her, his body trembling with exhaustion as he tried, and failed, to regain enough strength to stand. Then it was just her and Kronos. 

She and Kronos were used to fighting each other; they’d been doing so all week, with varied results. She had the Blessing of Athena on her side, making it hard for him to get a good strike in, but he had the Curse of Achilles, meaning that every place she tried for ended up with her knife glancing off harmlessly. Now, they duelled again. The throne room shook around them, and Annabeth was trying not to cry. She hated that this was her fate, but she also knew that she’d had no choice in the matter.

The one bright side was that Kronos was visibly weakening. He’d been using his powers for so long-- slowing time, defending his army, protecting that stupid boat of his-- and it was draining him. Not to mention, he’d been having problems with his mortal form. He didn’t want to have to eat and sleep like it required, and there was something else there as well. Luke seemed to be growing restless, fighting against his master. 

This came to fruition when Annabeth got one solid strike in. She was using Nico’s sword at this point, and hitting wherever she could, trying to find his weak spot when she swung wildly, shouting “For Percy!” and hit him with enough force to send him to the ground, rolling from the momentum. She hadn’t found his weak spot, but she had disoriented him, which was something. Then he sat up, and she gasped. 

His eyes were no longer glowing gold. When he’d fallen, they’d gone back to their normal human color, with their white scaleras and blue irises. In a second, the titan’s hold on the body had dropped, and now Luke was back in control. 

He’d lost his sword in his fall, and desperately, Annabeth ran to it and kicked it over the side. It fell hundreds of feet, and she prayed he wouldn’t be able to use his magic to retrieve it. 

“Hey, Annabeth,” Luke purred, smiling like this was exactly where he wanted to be. “Long time no see.”

Annabeth refused to respond. Instead she went to him, hacking at him with her sword, but every blow glanced off him like it was nothing. He cringed against them, but didn’t try to protect any spot in particular. At the time, Annabeth had taken that to mean that he wasn’t worried about her finding his weak spot because it was well guarded: the small of his back, maybe, or the soles of his feet. It didn’t matter: Annabeth would find it eventually. 

This was the man who’d killed Percy. 

Now, she knew different. Luke wasn’t trying to defend his Achilles heel because it was well protected, but because he  _ wanted her _ to find it. He was trying to help her kill him. 

But none of her strikes landed. 

Luke got tired of this quickly though, and tripped her. “What, no kind words for an old friend?” He asked, looking irritated. 

“You’re not my friend,” Annabeth panted. She tried to strike again, and he blocked her with his arm, like it was made of pure metal. 

“Stop that. You know what we used to have. We could have it again.”

“Shut up!” She sliced at his feet, stabbed at his legs, but it did nothing. He didn’t even blink.

“You’re too smart,” he goaded. “You’ll never find it.”

She tried to go for his stomach, but he grabbed her wrist, moving impossibly fast. She tried to fight his grip, but he was stronger, his nimble fingers wrapping around both of her wrists like cuffs. He looked at them meaningfully. “Annabeth,” he said, and his voice sounded so much like the old him that she could’ve screamed. “I have two secrets to tell you before you kill me.”

“I don’t care--” she started, but he talked over her. 

“Let a dying man have this,” he hissed, and she stopped fighting, trying to lull him into a false sense of security. He’d blocked her from hitting his stomach-- maybe that was his heel. “The first secret,” he said weightally, like the entitled prick that he was, “Is that you mean more to me than you could ever know. I love you, Annabeth.”

Annabeth ripped her wrists from his grip, and stabbed the knife into his stomach. Instead of glancing off like all of her other blows, it sunk deep into his flesh, all the way to the hilt. Luke gasped, his mouth falling open in shock and pain. 

“Go to Tartarus,” Annabeth sneered. “I fucking hate you.”

“The second-- the second secret is about-- about Per--,” he protested, and Annabeth twisted her blade inside of him. He died. 

Annabeth sat there for a few long moments, panting over his body. She couldn’t feel much of anything-- not the pain from her arm, still weak and unhealed, nor the blood from her various cuts, nor the emotional pain of what she just did. But when she looked down at her wrists, and saw tiny bruises where he’d squeezed them, she felt sick. 

“Annabeth,” Nico croaked from across the throne room, and Annabeth hurried over, ashamed she hadn’t gone sooner. Nico was her best friend, and she’d let her emotions get in the way of making sure he was okay. 

“I’ll get you to a healer,” she swore, but he shook his head. 

“Fine, I’m-- I’m fine. Why didn’t you let him tell you the second secret?”

Annabeth frowned. He was still thinking about  _ that?  _ “Luke knows me. He knows my desire for knowledge. It was probably a trick.”

“It sounded like he was trying to say that the second secret was about Percy,” Nico objected. The sick feeling in Annabeth’s gut returned. 

“I wouldn’t want to hear it either way,” she swore. “Percy’s long gone, and anything Luke would say about him would just be to hurt me. And now, they’re both dead.”

_ They’re both dead, _ she thought to herself.  _ Oh, oh gods. Oh gods.  _

“Annabeth?” Nico asked, looking concerned, and Annabeth shook her head. 

“Come on. Let’s get you to a medic.”

She ended up scooping him up, and had just stepped over the broken body of Ethan Nakumora when the Olympians entered the room. Over the next hour, Nico was attended to, her friends were brought in, and the gods ascended their thrones. The bodies were carted out, and Annabeth didn’t look at Luke again, not even when Hermes said his final blessing, muttering “My  _ son. _ ” 

Gifts were given out: rewards for the demigod’s bravery and sacrifice. Annabeth went last, and after she got all of the gods to swear on the River Styx to honor their oath, she said “Pay your  _ fucking  _ child support.”

The discussion went on a little longer than just that, but that was the important part. 

Finally, they were done. The gods stirred amongst themselves, some uncomfortable, some just tired. Athena and Poseidon shared a concerned look, and Annabeth was pleased to know that she’d gone psychotic enough to bridge their eons old feud. At least something good came from her grief. 

“I suppose I better start making the plans to redesign Olympus,” Athena said, not looking at her daughter. “It certainly is in bad shape.”

“Yes,” Poseidon said, looking hesitant. “I think that  _ would _ be smart for you to do, Athena.”

The demigods were dismissed. Just like that, the war was over. 

(Except, was it, really?)

Annabeth did her best to keep herself busy after that. She’d gotten so used to her years of hyper-efficiency that going back to the slow pace of life she’d once enjoyed seemed ridiculous. So, she put herself to work: she soothed things over with her step-family and started going for weekend visits to tutor Matthew and Bobby; she designed new cabins at Camp Half-Blood for the minor gods; and she continued to train incessantly. She did everything she could to keep herself busy, because if her mind was full of problems to solve, it wouldn’t wander to places it didn’t belong. 

But sometimes, at night… it wandered. 

No matter what she said, she was still a child of Athena, and her curiosity couldn’t be suppressed no matter how hard she tried. Sometimes, laying in bed at night, she’d think of Luke, the small bruises he left on her wrists. She’d think of the secret he'd wanted to tell her. She’d wonder if Nico was right, and he’d started to say something about Percy. She'd wonder how many things about her long-dead lover she'd never know.

She lived this way for about half a year. She started healing, started letting herself forget. What had Luke said to her? She didn’t remember, that was so long ago. Either way, it hadn’t been important. 

And then the Romans had to go and fuck everything up. They sent a video with a Percy-lookalike, claiming to be the real thing and telling everyone about Camp Jupiter. Nico came a day later, confirming that it was true. “It’s him,” he swore. “Percy really is alive.”

After that came days upon days of council meetings. The council meetings, once subdued, were now viscous. “He’s _dead,_ ” Annabeth insisted. “I saw his body, he’s _dead_. The Romans are trying to trick us! They know that we will be made weaker by signing their peace treaty, and they’re using a familiar face to try and coerce us into doing it. We can’t give in!”  
“Annabeth, they are not our enemies!” Nioc insisted. “I know Reyna, she wants--”

“How could you keep something like this from us?” Annabeth accused. “All along, you knew--”

“I had no choice. Chiron and Reyna both said--”

“You think we haven’t had enough experiences with traitors?” Annabeth accused. “What, you thought we needed more?”

Sufficit to say, Annabeth was asked to stop coming to council meetings. Furious, she made plans to go stay with her father’s family for a few days, though she did apologize to Nico before she left. She  _ had _ been unnecessarily cruel, calling him a traitor like that. Not to mention, he was one of her closest friends, and she knew she couldn’t lose him.

He accepted her apology. She left, went to San Francisco with her family. She got a few iris message requests while she was there, but she ignored them all. She was taking a break from magic, taking a break from war, and taking a break from camp.

Then she got back, and found out that in the few days she was gone, the campers had developed a plan. They had sent word to Camp Jupiter, requesting three Roman demigods come to their camp first, before any Greek campers visited Camp Jupiter. This, they decided, would be safer. The councilors had been divided: some believed it was Percy in the video, some didn’t, but they all agreed it could easily be a trap. This way, they could test the waters, and if worse came to worse, they could hold the campers as hostages and get a tiny bit of leverage in this doomed war. 

It wasn’t a bad plan. Annabeth was just pissed they’d made it without her. If it had been up to her, she would’ve advocated for more drastic measures. After all, she knew it wasn’t Percy in the video, but some sort of magic illusion, intended to make the campers hurt. It was a cruel tactic, but if the Romans wanted to play dirty, the Greeks could meet them. After all, they’d already won one war against impossible odds. What was one more?

Besides, Annabeth hadn’t even stopped training. 

***

After the Romans underwent interrogation via ‘The Drew Method’, they collapsed in a pile on the couch and fell fast asleep. They rest of the campers cleared out, but Annabeth stayed sitting on the couch perpendicular to them, writing in her notebook:

_ Queries: _

  * _If AMB (Ambassadors) sent for war, why not tell AMB?_


  * If AMB sent for peace, why send such powerful demigods?


  * If AMB sent for peace, why lie about Percy?



It was that last one that she kept coming back to. She could believe the ambassadors were being honest about what had been told to them. She could even believe that the Romans truly wanted peace. But the one thing she couldn’t believe was that Percy was alive. His death was something she had known, deep in her gut, for years. She saw the spear pierce his body, heard the entire arena of monsters cheer. He was so surely dead she hadn’t even stopped to consider looking at the body-- there was no way he could’ve survived. 

Then, there were the other issues. Nico was younger than Percy, which meant that Nico couldn’t have been the child of the prophecy if Percy was still alive. It just didn’t make sense. And then there was the fact that if Nico’s story were true, it meant that Percy had escaped captivity and hadn’t returned to camp nor sent word of his survival. And that was just something Annabeth couldn’t believe. Percy’s fatal flaw was his  _ loyalty,  _ for fuck’s sake. He wouldn’t just disappear, only to show face when it was convenient for the Romans. 

Which meant there was only one option: Percy was dead, just like Annabeth knew, just like she’d always known. The person claiming to be him at Camp Jupiter was some sort of imposter-- a child of Hecate, perhaps, or one of their creations. Hell, he may even be an automaton. Annabeth would know for sure once she saw him in person, and she  _ would  _ see him in person. No one can imitate Percy and get away with it, not under her watch.

She wondered if their praetor, this Reyna character, knew the truth. Annabeth assumed she did. She probably put some of her loyal soldiers to the task, then kept it such a secret that the majority of the campers didn’t even know. Then, they made friends with the clone, not knowing the truth, and that’s why they spoke with such conviction: not because Percy was alive, but because they’d been lied to as well. It seemed that their praetor was keeping secrets from more than just the Greeks.

***

**Frank**

Frank was the first to wake. He shifted slightly, worried he was crushing Hazel’s leg, but she just grunted and cuddled back against his side. 

He grabbed a pillow from the floor and used it to prop himself up, which is when he noticed two things: the first was the dimness outside the windows, suggesting the sun was beginning to set, and the second was that they weren’t alone.

Annabeth still sat on the couch perpendicular to them, in the exact same spot she’d been in earlier. She gave Frank an irritated look, then went back to her notebook. 

“I hope you believe us now,” Frank said, keeping his voice low so he didn’t wake up the others. “We only went through that whole fiasco because of the panic you spread about your camp.”

“Reasonable panic,” she corrected, not looking up. “And just because you are telling the truth doesn’t mean that your camp leaders are doing the same. There’s always the chance that someone else is lying behind the scenes, and you just believe everything you’ve been told.”

“I trust our camp leaders,” Frank defended. “Everything we said is truthful. Percy says hi, by the way.”

Annabeth huffed, scribbling more intently in her journal. “Don’t say that to me. You got what you wanted, the other campers believe you. You don’t have to drag me into your lies too.”

“They’re not lies,” Jason said gently, awake now. He was laying half on Frank, half on the couch, and if Frank was a different guy he might be concerned about the state of his masculinity. However, he was  _ not  _ a different guy, and personally Frank thought there was nothing shameful about cuddling with one’s friends. “He’s alive. Eventually you’ll come to believe us.”

“Maybe I’ll just have to see for myself,” Annabeth said, and Jason shrugged, accepting the challenge. 

“Maybe.”

“You guys can stay here and recover for as long as you need,” she said, somehow managing to make it sound like  _ wow, you need time to recover? Weak.  _ “You missed lunch, but dinner is in thirty minutes. There will be another councilor meeting after campfire tonight, and all three of you are invited. We will discuss things further then.”

“Sounds great,” Jason said, sounding almost angry. “Thanks a bunch, Chase.”

Annabeth got up, closing her notebook with a loud  _ SNAP!,  _ and left. 

“What a great gal,” Jason said snobbily. “I completely get what Percy sees in her.”

“Hey, she’s lost friends, her brother,  _ and  _ her boyfriend,” Frank said, poking him in the side. “Give her a break.”

“Maybe if she gave us one first,” Jason grumbled, but didn’t say anything else after that.

Eventually, Hazel woke up, and they all rose and went back to their cabins. None of them really had anything to say to each other. The procedure had been rough enough, but it had put some secrets into the air that none of them really wanted to confront yet-- with Frank’s old feelings for Reyna being the lightest, and Hazel’s confession about being resurrected being the heaviest. Frank  _ still _ didn’t know what she meant by that, but he was too tired to ask. They could talk about all that and more later, for now they just needed some normal things. 

They split up to go to their cabins, and Frank pushed the door to his open. Most of the others were there, and Clarisse gave him a curt wave before going back to her magazine. 

Frank wanted to climb into his bunk and go back to sleep, but he had something to do first. “Hey, Clarisse,” he said, and she looked up, guarded. “Thanks. I really appreciate you standing up for us there.”

“‘Course,” she said, her voice extra rough, maybe to compensate for her vulnerability earlier. “Mars or Ares, I don’t really care. You’re family.”

That made Frank feel about a dozen different emotions, none of which he had the emotional bandwidth to process right at that moment. He just nodded and squeezed her hand, before going to his bunk.

He didn’t remember falling asleep, but he woke up in time for dinner, and joined his cabin in the walk up to the dining hall. Inside, he saw Jason sitting at the Hermes table, talking to Travis and Connor. It seemed to be going well, like they’d taken care of whatever uncomfortable tension was between them. Hazel was at the Hades table with Nico, who was talking to her worriedly. She had something in her hand that was dark blue, like a sapphire, but Frank couldn’t get close enough to figure out what it actually was. Hazel fidgeted with it restlessly, then squeezed it in her hand, and the stone disappeared. 

Frank sat with his cabin, letting himself get caught up in the conversation between Mark and Ellis about the best way to sabotage an army in a wooded terrain. It was a weird hypothetical to talk about, but Frank joined in, happy to use his mind for something light-hearted for once. 

After dinner, Frank prayed to Mars behind the cabin again. This time, Sherman didn’t follow him outside-- progress?

Next came campfire, and then finally, the counselor meeting. The younger demigods were put to bed, and then the counselors left their cabins in hordes, linking up with each other and talking quietly as they marched to the Big House, as if in a death procession. Frank walked alongside Clarisse, and neither of them spoke. 

In the Big House, they gathered in the living room, since it was bigger than the room with the ping-pong table where they’d had their earlier war council. Frank and Jason sat on one of the ottomans, while Hazel paced behind them. At first, Frank thought she was restless, then he noticed the way her eyes were half-closed-- she was barely staying awake. 

Piper and Will lead the events, since they were apparently the ones in charge of the unification of the camps from the Greek side of things. Will started, saying “We all talked after you’d fallen asleep, and we have come to an almost unanimous agreement that we believe you.” Frank looked around for Annabeth, knowing she was the one who’d kept the decision from being unanimous, but Frank didn’t see her. Instead, her younger brother Caleb was here in her place. “Which means we have been pretty unfair to you guys,” Will continued, looking genuinely regretful. “From this point on, we want to be better. We want to genuinely start working toward building connections between our camps and campers, which means some things will be changing. We’ll stop keeping such a close eye on you guys, first of all, and Jason, we’ll also allow you to move into the Zeus cabin, where you should’ve been all along. We know these aren’t super big things, but we hope that you take them as the sign of apology they’re meant to be.”

“Well-spoken,” Jason murmured, too quiet for anyone but Frank to hear. Frank couldn’t help but agree; the child of Apollo had surprised them. 

“Thank you for that,” Jason said aloud, injecting respect into his words. “We appreciate it.”

A few more little details were wrapped up, and then they were released. Before they could go far, Piper stopped them, pulling them aside. “I’m sorry about earlier. I hope I didn’t mess anything up for you guys.”

Jason gave her a distrusting look. “We consented to it. Doesn’t mean we enjoyed spilling secrets for all the counselors to hear.”

“I know, and I’m sorry,” Piper said. “If it makes it better, I can promise not to use charmspeak on you guys again?”

“Fine,” Jason said, and they shook hands. Frank noticed that Piper didn’t swear on the River Styx, but he didn’t call her on it. The Greeks could say they trusted them all they wanted, but apparently unless they were Ares kids, that trust may still need to be earned over time. Frank could accept it. 

Then it was just the three of them. They went to the Zeus cabin together to check it out with Jason, and were horrified to find it featured a 10-foot tall marble statue of Zeus, glaring down across the room. There weren’t any bunk beds or anything a person could use to live, really, but someone had dragged a large mattress in for them, which Frank guessed was sort of nice. There were blankets folded up next to it, and Jason grabbed a pillowcase, flying upward briefly to shove it over statue-Zeus’ head, making him look like a kidnapping victim. “There,” he said with an air of finality. 

“I’m pretty sure that’s disrespectful,” Frank said, but Jason shrugged.

“It’s a good thing my dad’s Jupiter, not Zeus.”

“I guess.”

Hazel looked around a bit more while Frank helped Jason make his bed. When he was done, he left to get Hazel, and was surprised to find her tucked away in one of the alcoves cut into the wall, fast asleep. 

“Hey, Hazel,” Frank said, and she blinked awake. 

“Huh? Where--”

“We’re in the Zeus cabin,” Frank explained, keeping his voice quiet and calm so she didn’t startle. “Can I help you to a bed?”

Hazel nodded, and Frank wrapped an arm around her waist, helping support her as he brought her over to Jason’s mattress. When Jason saw, his expression softened. “Just let her sleep here tonight. I’m sure Nico will understand.”

“Can I stay too?” Frank asked. “My siblings can’t wake me up for 4am conditioning if they can’t find me.”

“Ha, sure,” Jason laughed. “Make yourselves at home.”

They all piled in, climbing under the covers and getting comfortable. Hazel was conscious enough to say a few things, though clearly she was exhausted. They all were; despite their earlier nap, it had still been a long day, and none of them had slept well the night before. 

Speaking of not getting enough sleep… Jason  _ had  _ told him to make himself at home… 

_ Fuck it, _ Frank decided, and turned into a pug. Immediately, every muscle in his body relaxed, and he curled up with Hazel, letting her pet him a few times as she drifted off.  _ This is the life,  _ he decided, and fell asleep too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter:  
> \- Annabeth's POV!!! about 1) the war, 2) the battle in the throne room, 3) life at camp after the war  
> \- Annabeth still doesn't believe Percy is alive (rip in the chat)  
> \- Frank and Annabeth's brief conversation  
> \- New rules (told via Will)  
> \- The Jupiter cabin
> 
> I know it was a bit of an in-between chapter, but I'd written most of Annabeth's POV already and wanted to post it before it became irrelevant. In the next chapter we will get to see more plotty stuff-- including the ambassador's reactions to their secrets being shared, more stuff with the Greek campers, and an Iris message to Camp Jupiter! 
> 
> Until then, please leave your thoughts and comments below! Is Annabeth's side of the story what you expected? Did anything surprise you? Let me know what you thought, and have a great day!


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've got a nice thick chapter for you all today! Gentle warning at the beginning: there is some pronoun nonsense that goes down in this chapter, because Will is starting to transition to they/them pronouns, but not with everyone yet. Its explained in the chapter, but basically Hazel uses they/them pronouns for them because they asked her to specifically, while Frank still uses he/him because that's what he was told. Its not a huge deal in the chapter, and like I said its explained, but I wanted to give you all a heads up since I know pronouns can be a sensitive topic :)

**Hazel**

Hazel woke up and, for a moment, was at peace. She was in the Zeus cabin with Jason asleep on the other side of the bed, and pug-Frank dozing under the covers, close enough for Hazel to be able to appreciate the substantial body heat he was putting off. Things were good: they’d overcome a giant hurdle to their quest, she hadn’t had any nightmares, and the entire cabin smelled like rain. What was there to complain about?

Then she remembered the day before, and covered her eyes with her hands, holding back a groan.  _ Piper. That  _ was one thing to complain about-- Piper and her annoying procedure that made Hazel spill her guts about the biggest secret she’d been keeping from her friends. She’d intended to  _ keep  _ it a secret from them too, but no, of course she had to fess up when under Piper’s love magic. Of course. 

It wasn’t even that Hazel thought they’d react badly to it, or think it was weird or something. She just didn’t want them to know. She'd been given a second chance to try and live a new, better life, where she could experience more and do better things than she was able to in her last life. She  _ wasn’t  _ here to dwell on the past, or be treated like a freak for living in another century. She had hoped that, with Nico’s underworld training, she’d be able to pass as a completely normal demigod and no one would ever be the wiser, but it seemed like that wouldn’t be the case. 

They hadn’t talked about it last night. They’d all been too exhausted to have such a substantive conversation, but Hazel knew it needed to happen eventually. Might as well get it over with now.

Before she could think of anything to do, there was a knock on the door, and it pushed open. Annabeth marched inside, shoving back the hood of her raincoat with her free hand while she balanced a couple satchels with the other. It was only then that Hazel realized the smell of rain wasn’t coming from the Zeus cabin, but from outside, where it was absolutely  _ pouring.  _

“Hazel,” Annabeth greeted, an edge to her voice. “I have to say I’m surprised.”

Hazel blinked at her, her mind still waking up. Surprised? Why would--

On the other side of the bed Jason stirred, as if roused by an enemy voice. He propped himself up and blinked awake, coming to his senses quicker than Hazel. “Oh, hey Annabeth. You can join us if you’d like.”

“Pass,” Annabeth sniffed. 

“Oh, you think--” Hazel said, then cut herself off, feeling her cheeks heat up. Annabeth had walked in, probably just expecting to find Jason, but instead finding Hazel here too.

“It’s not actually like that,” Jason said, coming to her rescue. “Frank slept here last night too. It’s a friend thing.”

“A friend thing,” Annabeth repeated dryly, sounding like she didn’t believe it. “Then where is Frank?”

Frank was currently cuddled up to Hazel’s side, still a pug, but obviously they couldn’t say that. To Hazel’s knowledge, Frank hadn’t told anyone at Camp Half-Blood about his powers, which meant he probably intended to keep it that way. 

“The bathroom,” Jason answered for her. 

“In the rain?”

Jason shrugged, staring her down. “He had to go.”

Annabeth narrowed her eyes, but apparently decided to move on. “Anyway. It’s raining, as you may have noticed. A couple of volunteers are bringing around breakfast to all the cabins, along with a notice. All scheduled activities for the day are canceled, at least until the rain clears up.”

“Wait, I thought the camp was climate controlled?”

“It normally is,” Annabeth agreed. “But that’s Mr. D’s magic, not the fleece’s. He hates the rain. Unfortunately, he’s not here right now, so we have to deal with it.”

“Sounds like a fun time to me,” Jason said, and Annabeth made a face. 

“Can’t you repel the rain or something?”

“Um, no? Why would I be able to do that?”

Annabeth gestured around the cabin, as if saying  _ duh, do you even know who your dad is?  _ “What’s the point of being a Zeus kid if you can be negatively affected by the rain?”

“I’m a Jupiter kid, thanks. And do you have something for us, or are you just here to make obnoxious comments about my parentage?”

Annabeth rolled her eyes and tossed Jason one of the satchels. He caught it, and then grabbed Hazel’s out of mid-air as well, which was good. One of the non-sleep things her narcolepsy affected was her reaction times: she lived a little slower than she used to. 

“Frank’s too?” Annabeth said, as if catching them in a lie, and Jason nodded. 

“Yes please.”

She tossed him that satchel too, and made her leave. Once she was gone, Jason exhaled. “She’s obnoxious.”

“You antagonize her,” Hazel pointed out. “Also, did she think we were sleeping together?”

“Ridiculous, right? You’re my subordinate, I couldn’t do that to you. The power imbalance would be completely off.”

Hazel gave him an unimpressed look. “You slept with our praeter, who’s like, seven years older than you.”

“Well yeah, but that’s different.”

“You also kissed Percy, who’s a legionnaire in your cohort.” Jason gave her a guilty look, and Hazel huffed, shaking her head. “You did more than just that one kiss?”

“A little more,” Jason admitted. 

“Dear lord.”

Pug-Frank crawled out from under the covers, climbing over to the center of the bed before transforming back into his human form, sitting criss-cross on the mattress. “Are we talking about reasons why you and Hazel shouldn’t hook up? Because I can add a few bullet points to that list.”

“Thanks, but I think we’re good,” Jason said. “Friends?”

“Friends,” Hazel agreed, giving him a knuckle-punch. That reminded her of her earlier thoughts, and she made a face. “We should talk about yesterday. The secrets.”

“Ugh, fine,” Frank said. “Well Jason, no offense, but your secret was kind of obvious. I mean, I wasn’t surprised to hear it.”

“Ditto to you,” Jason agreed. “I’m pretty sure everyone has a crush on Reyna after they get to camp.”

“I should’ve thought up a better secret,” Frank agreed jokingly. “That just leaves one left.”

They both turned to Hazel, who ducked her head, suddenly anxious. She didn’t want this to change anything. She didn’t want it to matter at all.

“Hazel?” Frank prodded, when she’d been quiet for a few moments. “Is it true? Did you really die in the 40s?”

Hazel nodded once, still not looking up. “Nico was in the Underworld, looking for his other sister, Bianca. He found me instead. Hades agreed to give me a second chance.” It wasn’t because of her, she knew. Hades had agreed to do so as a favor to Nico, the child of the Great Prophecy and savior of Olympus. Hazel was fine with that; after all, she was a Pluto kid, not a Hades kid. She just hoped that her father would agree with his Greek-counterpart's decision.

Frank exhaled, and Hazel looked up. Frank was looking over at the Zeus statue with the pillowcase over its head, his eyebrows crinkled in thought. “You said your narcolepsy was a result of your time in the Underworld. At the time, I’d assumed you meant your three months of training, but--”

“I actually meant my 7 decades spent in the Fields of Asphodel,” Hazel agreed. “It’s not as easy to leave death as people would have you think. Once you’ve been a wandering spirit for so long… it can be hard to come back.” 

Frank shook his head. “I’m so sorry. That sounds… awful.”

Hazel’d anticipated a lot of different reactions to her secret coming out, but she hadn’t anticipated  _ empathy.  _ “It’s not the worst thing ever. I’m glad for the second chance.”

“We’re glad you got this chance too,” Jason said, meeting her eyes. “And we’re glad you’re on this quest with us. We couldn’t have done it without you.”

Hazels scoffed. “I don’t know about that. I haven’t exactly been that helpful.” In all honesty, she was worried she would go back to Camp Jupiter having done nothing of value. This was the quest that was supposed to get her her place in the legion, but what if she didn’t do enough to earn it?

“Hey, you’ve done a ton,” Jason said, frowning. “Working out what was going on with the counselors was something we had to do together, as a team, and we all stepped up when it came to Piper’s interrogation. As far as I’m concerned, you’ve already earned your place in the legion.”

Hazel thanked him, but secretly, she wasn’t so sure. Maybe what she was worried about wasn’t whether she deserved to be promoted from her  _ probatio  _ status, but whether she could be of any use at Camp Jupiter at all. She had been resurrected so she’d have a second chance at life, but what was the point of going through it all if she didn’t make her second chance worthwhile?

They moved on from the conversation then, with a few more words of reassurance from Frank and Jason. It seemed like they hadn’t changed their opinion about her at all since hearing her secret, which was a relief, and yet she couldn’t help feeling restless. If they knew about her resurrection too, how was she supposed to keep going through the motions at Camp Jupiter, never contributing more than what was simply adequate?

They ate their breakfasts together, then Frank and Hazel decided it was time to head back to their cabins. They said their goodbyes and went outside together, hiding under the overhang and getting up the courage to sprint through the rain. “Are you going to turn into a bird or something?” Hazel asked, wishing she had an out like that, but Frank shook his head. 

“Nah, it’s coming down too fast. I’ll do better just running.”

“You could turn into a fish,” Hazel suggested, and he laughed. She smiled, proud of herself. 

“Really I should turn into a pig, what with all this mud. Or something that eats worms; what eats worms?”

“We’ve come full circle back to birds.”

“Well fuck.”

“I’m gonna go for it,” Hazel said. 

“Okay, same. Good luck?”

“Yeah, you too,” Hazel said, and then got ready to go. Before she could, though, he put a hand on her arm, and she looked back at him. It was a weird parallel to their second meeting, when Frank had turned into a bear to save her from that monster. Afterward, she’d been trying to leave, and he’d put a hand on her arm. She’d yelled at him for it. Now, she didn’t even mind. That had only been a few weeks ago, but so much had changed. Hazel trusted Frank with more than she’d like to admit. 

“Hey,” he said, in that ultra-sincere way he got sometimes. “I’m really glad you’re on this quest with us. And I’m sorry you were forced to tell us about the resurrection thing before you were ready. If you want, we don’t have to bring it up again.”

“Thanks,” Hazel said, touched. “I think that’d be nice. I don’t want my past to define me.”

“You deserve better,” he agreed, then turned back to the rain, steeling himself. “Okay, on the count of three?”

“One, two… three!” Hazel counted down, and then they both ran together in the rain, sprinting across the way to their respective cabins. 

***

Hazel was wanting to talk to Nico about some of the things that she’d realized that morning, but when she came into the cabin she was a little taken aback to find Will instead. “Hey,” she said, and they waved a little. 

“Sup.”

“Is Nico..?” she started asking, and they pulled the blanket off their lap to reveal the sleeping son of Hades underneath it. Hazel laughed, but made a mental note to keep her voice low. “Nice.”

“Nico tells me you spent last night in the Jupiter cabin,” Will said, wiggling their eyebrows. “You know that’s against the rules, right?”

“Ugh, not you too. It’s a Roman thing; unlike you horny Greeks, we can actually do things platonically. Not everything’s about sex.”

“Fair,” they admitted. 

Hazel went over to her bed and grabbed some clean clothes. Nico’d set up a screen for her on the other side of the room, since she was more private than him, which she went behind now, changing into the dry clothes. “Really, I should be asking why you’re here, Will?”

“Purely innocent reasons,” Will said haughtily. Hazel suppressed the desire to roll her eyes; Will was one of the horny Greeks she’d been referring to earlier. She’d read one of the ‘love-letters’ Nico’d written to them once, thinking it’d give her some good material to mock him about later, but  _ nope.  _ The first half had been cute, of course, with lots of flowery language and rhyming and whatnot, but the second half-- well. Let’s just say, Hazel never got Sex ED at her Catholic School in the 30’s, but after reading that letter, she was pretty sure she didn’t need it anymore. 

Despite all that, Hazel liked Will a lot. They were nice, and Hazel couldn’t help feeling a little bad about taking Nico away from them for all those months in the Underworld. Nico and Will had started dating a few months before the Titan War, so their romance was in full swing by the time Hazel was given her second chance. Still, Nico had needed to spend those months in the Underworld with her, only coming up to visit Will once a week. If Hazel’d been in their shoes, she would’ve become pretty spiteful, but Will had never been anything but perfectly friendly and kind to her. They were just like Nico called them: a ray of sunshine. 

Hazel tried to return the favor by being friendly back, and always being sure to use the right language when talking about them. Will was starting to make the transition to using they/them pronouns, and had asked Hazel privately if she'd start using them instead of the he/him pronouns most other campers use. "I'll tell more people eventually, but for now I'm just asking it from people close to me," they'd explained. Hazel knew that only included her because she was Nico's sister, but still, she'd felt honored. Ever since, Hazel worked hard to use the correct pronouns, and they'd started becoming closer. Will was nice enough that Hazel was pretty sure she'd want them as a friend even if they weren't dating her brother.

Now though, Hazel almost wished they were back in their own cabin, so she could talk to Nico in peace. She still had a lot on her mind, but she thought maybe, just maybe, Will would understand. 

Hazel finished changing, and stepped out from behind the screen. “Will, can I ask you something?”

Will looked up. They’d been reading a book while Nico napped on their lap, but they set it down now. “Sure.” 

“How do you know you’re doing enough? Like, making enough out of your life. Because I--” she hesitated a little, unsure if this was the right move to make. She’d always been good at keeping her feelings to herself-- why would she start sharing now?

Luckily, Will seemed to understand what she was trying to get at. “Is this about the whole ‘second chance at life’ thing? Because Nico was worried you might have some issues with that.”

“He was?”

“Oh yeah, he worries about you a lot more than he’ll ever admit. He told me about this a while ago. Basically, he was concerned you might put too much pressure on yourself to make this life ‘worth it’, or something. He said you’re not used to living for yourself.”

“I’m not,” Hazel admitted. “I don’t see how that’s a bad thing.”

Will seemed to consider this. “I guess it’s not really. Like, it’s good to be selfless, but at the same time, there needs to be a balance. It’s like when I was working in the med-bay during the war; no matter what I did, there were always sick people to help. But I couldn’t only live for them, I had to do things that made me happy too. I couldn’t be there for them 24 hours a day.”

“It’s not that,” Hazel said, shaking her head. She went over and sat on her bed, propped up against her pillows there. “Your issue was that you were doing too much for your camp, and not enough for yourself. But I feel like all I do is for myself. I sleep all the time because I need to, and then when I’m not sleeping, I train because it’ll help keep me awake. But all of that is only for myself. I have no higher purpose.”

“But you’re training for a reason,” Will argued. “You’re training to better protect yourself, your friends, and your camp. It’s important.”

“Yeah, but right now, my training doesn’t mean much. I mean, I’m alright with a sword, especially for a beginner, but… I don’t know. I don’t know if I’ll ever be as good as Percy and Jason, and if there’s people like them around, what am I needed for? I didn’t come back to life to be an average foot soldier.”

“Then be above average.”

Hazel looked down and frowned as the shadows around her lap darkened, and then suddenly, Nico was there, laying on her lap just like he’d been laying in Will’s. “Morning, sister. Are you harassing my partner?”

“I was only talking to them, you were the one sleeping on them,” Hazel complained, pushing Nico off the bed. He disappeared midair before he could hit the ground, reappearing back on Will’s lap, on top of the covers this time. He pouted. “Willy, she’s being mean. Make her stop.”

Will petted his hair, humoring him, but overall ignored him. “You could get a different weapon, something you could specialize in,” they suggested. “Or work on your powers. You Romans  _ do  _ have powers, right?”

Nico rolled his eyes. “Of course they have powers.”

“Well, I haven’t seen any of them  _ use them,  _ not even the Zeus kid. Are they waiting for some big reveal or something?”

“Romans don’t rely on their powers like we do,” Nico explained. “They’re much more weapons-based, but they  _ do  _ have powers. Hazel, if you want I could do some power training with you later?”

“I guess that’d be nice,” Hazel said. Besides, while she was here, she might as well learn to fight more like these demigods. When in Greece, and all that. 

***

Will left a while later, braving the rain, and Hazel and Nico got to work. They couldn’t do too much training while stuck inside, but they were at least able to work on some of the basics. 

As they kept going, though, they discovered this wouldn’t be as easy as they’d thought. They’d forgotten that while they technically had the same godly parent, Hades’ Greek and Roman forms were distinct from each other, and controlled somewhat different realms. While Hades’ powers were focused around the dead and death, Pluto’s powers were more about the underground, including all it’s hidden secrets and riches. That meant that while Hazel summoned gems and precious metals by  _ accident _ , Nico could only do so after minutes of hard concentration. The same worked in reverse: Nico could summon a zombie to do his bidding, but when Hazel tried, she ended up compiling a collection of random bones not even from the same skeleton. 

Still, they kept trying, and eventually they found some things that worked. It turned out Hazel could shadow travel too, though she didn’t like it much. When she shifted into the shadows, she could feel her body dissolving, turning ghostlike. In the shadow realm, there were voices all around, like the chattering of faceless spirits. It reminded her too much of the Fields of Asphodel for comfort. She was pretty sure over time, she could learn to push through and get used to it, especially if it was for a greater purpose. She probably wouldn’t be doing it for fun anytime soon, though.

On the bright side, the powers-training did make her feel a little better about everything. Will was right: she was a Big Three kid, which meant she had the powers of a Big Three kid. If she wanted to make a difference in the legion, she had to embrace that side of herself. 

A long time ago, when training with Nico in the Underworld, he’d told her that she never should’ve been put in the Fields of Asphodel. The Fields were just for people who’d lived a nothing life, he’d explained: the people who hadn’t been particularly bad, or good, or kind, or cruel, or  _ different  _ in any way. They never took a stand in one direction or another. 

Nico had said that she didn’t deserve to be there because she had taken a stand-- both in the real life, when she disrupted Gaea’s progress, and in the afterlife, when she’d stood up for her mom to keep her out of the Fields of Punishment. Her resurrection wasn’t only a second chance at life, but a second chance at Elysium. But if she wanted to get there, she had to stop holding herself back. 

She knew she could be great. She just had to  _ allow  _ herself to be great-- and that started with embracing her lineage, and learning to use her powers to their fullest possible potential. Not as a child of Hades, like Nico, but as a daughter of Pluto. 

*** 

**Frank**

When Frank got back to the Ares cabin, things were already in full-swing. Morning conditioning had taken place indoors, which meant they’d done no running and a whole lot of push-ups, and were now restless for entertainment. Mark had disappeared, probably to go flirt with more of the Aphrodite girls, but the other campers were there, plus Chris, Clarisse’s boyfriend, and Holly and Laurel Victor from the Nike cabin, who were apparently just as competitive as the Ares kids, if not more. They wasted the morning away with competitions, from dart-throwing to arm-wrestling. Frank wasn’t half bad at dart-throwing, which was probably helped by his archery skill, but he hadn’t arm-wrestled anyone since high school, so he was beat easily. When he lost to  _ Chris,  _ the others jeered loudly, and Sherman took pity on him, giving him some tips and tricks to do better next time. If Chris was offended, he didn’t show it; but then again, to date someone like Clarisse, you had to be a pretty gracious loser. 

Eventually they got tired of this and split off into smaller groups, talking and hanging out. Frank talked with Sherman some more, bonding over stories of their grandmas, who’d both been raised in China and immigrated around the same time, taking very similar child-rearing philosophies with them. Sherman even offered to take Frank to meet his grandma sometime, which was really nice. “All the way in Chicago?” Frank asked, surprised. 

Sherman shrugged. “Pegasus flights are free, and we don’t have to stay for long. Besides, any monsters we attract will just be extra training.”

Frank was pretty sure he’d feel awful if he accidentally sicced a bunch of hungry monsters on some old lady’s house, but he didn’t say anything. Besides, if Sherman’s grandma was anything like his… yeah, she’d probably just verbally berate the monsters into submission. It might even be fun.

Eventually, lunchtime came around, and they faced the rain to sprint to the dining pavilion. There were leaks in the ceiling, but most of the benches were dry-- at least, until the sopping wet demigods all came and sat on them. 

Lunch brought a renewed raucous energy to the camp, since they were suddenly surrounded by other cabins they hadn’t had a chance to harass yet. People moved from table to table, chattering at their friends and talking about Capture The Flag, which was apparently supposed to happen that night. It would have to be rescheduled if it was still raining by then, but regardless it’d happen eventually, and the camp was abuzz with excitement.

“How does Capture the Flag work?” Frank asked Ellis, who explained it to him. They didn’t have any equivalent to the Field of Mars at Camp Jupiter, which meant they played Capture the Flag in the monster-infested woods. Each week they played it with different teams, as new alliances between cabins rose and fell. That week, the Ares cabin was red, and would be teamed up with Demeter, Apollo, Aphrodite, and Nike. Meanwhile, the Athena cabin was blue, and had secured Hermes and Hephestus, along with almost all of the minor cabins, including Hypnos, Iris, Nemesis, Hebe, Tyche, and Hecate. They’d also secured Hades, which was a big win for them since it meant they’d be getting two Big Three kids. Frank and Hazel would be on opposite teams. 

There was only one cabin that was up in the air still, and that was the Zeus cabin, population one. That would explain why Jason was practically being mobbed, no matter  _ which _ table he sat at. When Frank realized this, he immediately moved over to join Jason, who was currently at the Aphrodite table, hearing their pitch. 

Frank waited for them to finish before putting an arm around Jason’s shoulders, getting his attention. “They forgot to tell you the best part: the red team includes the Ares kids, which means that not only are we guaranteed to win, but you get to be on a team with  _ me. _ ”

“Ooh, tempting offer,” Jason said, tapping his chin. “I do want to be on a team with my fellow ambassadors.”

“Bros for life?” Frank offered, and Jason gave him a knuckle punch. 

“Bros for life.”

The Aphrodite campers cheered, and just then Hazel managed to push through, Nico at her heels. “But Jason, I’m on the other team, so either way you play it us ambassadors will be split up! What ever happened to Big Three kid allegiance?”

“Ah, good point,” Jason said, looking conflicted. “Can I change my mind?”

“Nope, it’s already sealed in wax,” Frank said, even though he was pretty sure that wasn’t the case. “Sorry Hazel!”

Hazel stuck out her tongue at him, but Nico put a hand on her shoulder, shaking his head sympathetically. “Poor Jason. He just picked the losing team without even knowing it. Don’t worry, we don’t need him.”

“Wait, isn’t the Apollo cabin on  _ our  _ team?” Jason asked, raising his eyebrows at Nico. “Oof, that’s gotta hurt. Your datemate doesn’t even want to be on the same team with you, I guess that’s how you know you’re really doomed.”

Frank’s brain stuttered to a stop as he tried to put that equation together. Too late, he realized what Jason meant (datemate, Apollo cabin), and, way too loud, announced “Wait, Nico, you’re dating  _ Will?  _ But Will’s so nice!” All this time, Frank had really imagined Nico would be dating someone dark and brooding like him. He supposed opposites attract but…  _ seriously _ . Nico was dating out of his league.

Nico looked so offended it was almost funny. “What do you mean, of course I’m dating Will! Nice people can like me!”

“Aww, poor baby,” Will teased, coming up behind Nico. “Are the mean old Romans bullying you again?” Nico disappeared, shadow-traveling behind Will and sticking his finger in the other demigod’s ear, making him shriek. “Oh, now you’ve got it coming to you!” 

Nico dodged his grabbing hands, and sprinted around the pavilion, just barely avoiding his charging partner. He ended up having to run into the rain, shouting “Oh  _ shit _ it’s cold!”, Will still chasing right after him. 

***

After lunch, there was some free time, so Frank ducked out of the Ares cabin for a little while to get some peace and quiet. He had to run through the rain to get to his destination, but luckily everyone was too focused on the weather to try and stop him as he darted into the Poseidon cabin. 

He closed the door behind him, pulling his hood off with a huff. He tried the light-switch, but it didn’t turn on-- maybe the lightbulb had burnt out, or maybe the electricity had just been shut off. The cabin had clearly been abandoned for a while. The beds were all pristinely made, and there wasn’t a trinket in sight-- nothing on the walls, nothing on the floors,  _ nothing.  _

Frank thought back to Percy’s room back at Camp Jupiter, wondering if him chosing not to decorate was a force of habit, but then thought  _ no, no, there has to be  _ something. A bit of searching turned up a couple trunks under one of the bunk beds, and Frank pulled out the first one to reveal the name  _ Percy Jackson _ written on top of it. 

The trunk didn’t have that much inside. There were a few pairs of clothes, some hoodies, and a pair of old tennis shoes with bloodstains on them. There were a few non-clothing items too: a hollowed out horn, a couple interesting look seashells, and a picture frame. He looked at the picture, surprised to see how  _ young _ Percy looked back then. The photo showed him and his mom, where he must have only been 15, if not younger. He had his mother’s smile. 

Suddenly overwhelmed, Frank put the trunk away, and went over to the spring of water in the corner of the room, which is what he'd actually came here for. It, like the walls, was made of rough grey sea stone with shells embedded into it. Despite the gray skies, there was a visible rainbow in the mist-- maybe enough sunlight shone through to make it possible, or maybe the fountain was just magic. Either way, it served its purpose, and Frank dug out one of the drachmas he’d brought for this, tossing it in and saying “Percy Jackson, Camp Jupiter.”

A moment later, a picture appeared in the mist: Percy, sitting on his bed at camp, one of his latin textbooks in his lap. Frank could’ve sobbed in relief. Though he hadn’t thought about it much, he really missed his friend, and in all honesty was worried for him. For so long, it had been Frank’s job to keep an eye on Percy, keeping him out of fights and making sure he stayed safe. He was  _ intensely  _ protective over him, like Percy was his kid or something. It had been necessary for his own growth to leave on the quest, but he was worried for his friend. It didn’t help that there’d been so much rhetoric at Camp Half-Blood about Percy’s ‘death’. The point was, Frank was incredibly relieved to see Percy alive and well, just as he’d left him. 

Percy looked up, just realizing the Iris message, and immediately burst into a smile. “Frank!”

“Percy!” Frank responded. “How are you?”

As Percy answered, Frank took a moment to look him over. His eye bags were a little darker than usual, and he had some road rash on his face, but otherwise he looked mostly fine, dressed in jeans and a slightly-too-big-for-him Camp Jupiter sweatshirt. Frank wasn’t sure he’d ever seen Percy wear a Camp Jupiter shirt before, but he must’ve bought one since they left. Frank couldn’t imagine where else he would’ve got it from. 

“And how about you?” Percy asked. “How’s the quest going? How are Hazel and Jason?”

“They’re good,” Frank answered, thinking fondly back to their lunchtime conversation. “We’re all good. And the quest is going well. It was kind of shaky the first few days, but I really think we’ve gotten it back on track.”

“That’s great!” Percy said, genuinely enthused. He didn’t ask about why the quest wasn’t going well initially, which Frank was thankful for. “What do you think of the Greeks?”

Frank hesitated. “They’re… an acquired taste.” Percy snorted. “I think you definitely have to be understanding when dealing with them. They’re all really intense, but it makes sense why. I’ve been staying in the Ares cabin.”

“Ouch, I’m sorry,” Percy said, and Frank waved his concern away. 

“No, no, we’re actually getting along really well. Clarisse is still head counselor, in case you were wondering. She’s dating Chris Rodrigez.”

“No shit? Last I heard he was wandering the Labyrinth, completely crazy.”

Frank blinked. “He-- what? Wow, okay, apparently there’s a whole background story there I don’t know about, but he seems perfectly fine now.”

Percy shook his head, amazed. “Wow. Well, good for him. Any other drama you want to fill me in on?”

_ You’re getting more and more Roman every day,  _ Frank thought, finding it funny. The Greeks didn’t gossip nearly as much as the Romans did. Maybe it was because they were all less judgemental as a whole; their ‘live fast, die tomorrow’ philosophy didn’t lend itself to much condemnation of their peers. Regardless, Frank was happy to fill Percy in on the drama. He told him about all the relationships he knew about, the new cabins that’d been erected for children of minor gods, and everything else he could scrounge up that seemed of interest. 

Frank did try to steer clear of one topic, though, and that was Annabeth. He didn’t want to tell Percy about her denial of his existence. Percy always struggled to talk about Annabeth, but Frank knew that she was deeply important to him. For a long time, they’d been closer to each other than to anyone else, family included. Frank didn’t want to be the one to tell Percy that she’d become hardened; didn’t want to tell him about her rejections of his existence. As long as he didn’t ask, Frank wasn’t going to be the one to breach the subject. 

Near the end of the conversation, Percy started looking more and more nervous, and finally Frank had to ask him what he was thinking about. He figured it’d be about Annabeth, but it ended up being about someone else altogether. “Have you met Thalia yet?”

Frank had to try and remember. “Maybe? We met all the cabin leaders, and some of the others. Why, is she an ex or something?”

Percy snorted, not smiling anymore. “No, just a friend. And she’s probably not even at camp-- she’s a Hunter of Artemis, so she gets around, but I just thought she might have stopped by.”

“I mean, maybe she did and I just didn’t realize. Who’s her godly parent?”

Percy bit his lip, and finally looked up again. “Zeus.”

“Percy--”

“It gets worse,” Percy said, pressing his forehead to his palm. “Her name is Thalia Grace.”

Frank didn’t have to be a rocket scientist to put two and two together. Jason was a son of Jupiter, so maybe they weren’t full siblings, but still, it couldn’t have been a coincidence. “You think she’s--”

“Probably,” Percy said, shaking his head. “I don’t know for sure. We weren’t that close, but she never mentioned having a brother, and Jason never mentioned having a sister.”

“He was in the foster system,” Frank recalled. “They could’ve been separated when they were young.”

“It’d make sense. Thalia was homeless before she got to camp. Their mortal mother could’ve died, and they were both sent in separate directions, both too young to really remember that much. Or maybe they do remember each other, I don’t know. But the point is-- she exists, and Jason deserves to know. Unless-- do you think anyone else has told him yet? They should’ve, it’s not a hard connection to make.”

“I-- maybe?” Frank hazarded. He and Jason weren’t super close, but they were getting closer every day, and he felt like Jason would’ve told him about something this significant. “I’ll ask when I see him next.”

“Good. I feel really bad about not bringing it up sooner, but I didn’t think the two camps would ever combine, and then--”

“It’s alright,” Frank said, going into intense-reassurance mode. “You’re doing everything you can. I’m sure he won’t blame you for keeping it from him, even if it does turn out to be true.”   
Percy exhaled shakily, nodding. “That’s good. I-- I haven’t been sleeping well the past few nights. I’ve been having nightmares like crazy, seeing every worst-case scenario in my head. I know it’s not real, but sometimes it’s hard not to think--”

“Everything will be fine,” Frank promised. “The quest is a success so far. We’ll be back in a few days. By the way, how are things at camp? Is everything alright with Octavian?”

Percy huffed. “Yeah, they’re just peachy. He’s a dickhead, but he’s doing fine in office. His commencement ceremony was yesterday, and he’s been working with Reyna on new peace strategies.”

“That’s good,” Frank said. Honestly, he’d never really doubted Octavian, but he was glad to get confirmation. “And what about you? Have you started lifeguarding yet?”

“Oh yeah,” Percy said, flashing a grin. “That’s where I got this,” he said, pointing to the road rash on his face. “Plus a couple other little scrapes. It’s really fun though. It’s great to be fighting again.”

“Yeah? Do you have to step in a lot?”

Percy shrugged. “Meh. Only every few fights, whenever a demigod gets knocked down too hard, or the monster looks like it’s about to play especially dirty. Julius says I’ve got a good sense for it.”

“That’s really great,” Frank said, a little relieved. “I’m really glad you did this. It sounds like it’ll be good for you.”

Percy shrugged again, giving Frank a lopsided smile. “I’m enjoying it so far. But-- I miss you guys. I’ll be excited to have you come home.”

_ Home.  _ Frank was sitting in the abandoned Poseidon cabin at Camp Half-Blood, and when Percy said  _ home  _ he was talking about somewhere completely different. At one point, Percy had considered stealing Scipio the pegasus and running, never to be seen again, and now he was calling Camp Jupiter  _ home.  _

“We’ll be excited to be back,” Frank promised, forcing himself not to get choked up. “Until then, try not to get mauled by too many monsters.”

“I make no promises,” Percy said. The Iris message started to fade, but they were wrapping up the conversation anyways so Frank didn’t bother pulling out another coin. “Come back soon though, alright? And have the other’s I.M. me too, I miss all of your stupid faces.”

“Will do,” Frank swore, and then right as the message faded, called “Bye!”   
The message dissolved completely, leaving Frank alone in the dark, musty room, with its trunk of Percy’s old things, like a memorial to a friend long dead. But he wasn’t dead: he was at Camp Jupiter, and he was doing better. He was doing better, and Frank would complete this quest and come back to Camp Jupiter, where Percy would be right there waiting for them. 

_ I wonder if I can still pray in the rain,  _ Frank thought as he left the cabin, closing the door firmly behind him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter:  
> \- Hazel's POV on a rainy day  
> \- Annabeth's assumption (she doesn't even know Jason yet and she already knows exactly what type of problem he is, haha)  
> \- Conversation with Frank and Jason about Hazel's past  
> \- "turn into a bird? A fish? A bird?"  
> \- Nico and Will :(  
> \- Hazel's new plan to master her powers, with Nico and Will's help  
> \- Frank's POV arm-wrestling with the Ares cabin  
> \- Bonding with Sherman over their Chinese grandmas  
> \- Capture the flag planning!!!  
> \- Frank exploring the Poseidon cabin  
> \- Iris Messaging Percy!!  
> \- updates on Camps / revelation about Thalia  
> \- The Romans are more into gossip than the Greeks, who have their "live fast die tomorrow" philosophy  
> \- Frank being protective :(
> 
> Also, Percy was wearing a Camp Jupiter shirt? Hmm, wonder where he got it...
> 
> I hope pronoun stuff with Will wasn't too bad, in the next-ish chapter they'll be coming out as only using they/them pronouns, so I promise things will get a little less convoluted with that soon! Regardless, if you're non-binary and have some notes for me, I'm happy to hear! Right now the plan is that Will is still trying out different things and getting used to new labels, but if that doesn't feel like the move to you, I'd be happy to go back and have them use they/them pronouns from the start :)
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please comment and let me know what you thought, and have a great day!
> 
> Additional notes: at this point, this book is 99k words long, meaning it is longer than all of the individual books in the original PJO series (which were about 89k words each), and starting to approach the length of the books in the HoO series (which are closer to 115k words each). I have been working on this for approximately 84 days (counting since the day the first chapter was published). Celebrate with me in the comments 🎉🥳🎊


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two notes for this chapter. First, Frank refers to Will as he/him in this chapter, since Will hasn't told him otherwise yet. Second, I wanted to just do a quick trigger warning for, um, impromptu predicament bondage? 
> 
> Anyways, on with the chapter!

**Frank**

It stopped raining around mid-afternoon, meaning Capture The Flag would continue as scheduled. This threw the Ares cabin into a frenzy, checking weapons, going over plans, and hyping each other up with stories of past victories. Frank figured that for the Ares cabin, the weekly Capture The Flag games were the equivalent of Friday night hockey matches, or whatever sports people followed in New York: it’s what they trained for all week, so on the day of the big game, it was all they could talk about. 

Frank wanted to be judgemental, but honestly, he got it. He wasn’t obsessed with War Games back at Camp Jupiter, but he found himself looking forward to them more often than not. Besides, the Ares cabin trained like they were preparing for a war, and unless they got quests, they were stuck at camp with no real enemies to fight. It was probably good for the safety of everyone that they had something to channel their training into. 

Frank did his best to keep up. Clarisse pulled him aside and explained their strategy to him, helping him figure out where he best fit in. The red team was split up based on cabins. The Ares cabin was on offense, and would fight their way into enemy territory to search for and attempt to retrieve the flag. Meanwhile, the other cabins would be on defense, with the Demeter cabin guarding the border, the Aphrodite cabin breaking teammates out of jail, the Apollo cabin capturing enemy demigods who entered their territory, and the Nike cabin guarding their flag. Clarisse was especially proud of this part of the plan, since they were only allowed two people guarding the flag, and currently Holly and Laurel Victor were the only campers in the Nike cabin. 

“Can you fight with your bow?” Clarisse asked, looking at Frank’s weapons slung over his shoulder dubiously.

He rolled his shoulder, trying not to be self-conscious. “Yes. But I’ve got other tricks up my sleeve too, so hopefully I won’t have to. Arrows are good for killing monsters, but I don’t want to hurt any campers.”

“Hurting is allowed,” Clarisse noted. “Just no maiming. Once we’re done here, go to the Apollo cabin. They’re our allies, so they should be able to hook you up with some speciality arrows that you can use in the games.”

“Sure,” Frank agreed. He hadn’t had much practice with speciality arrows, but had always thought they were cool. 

He went back to the blackboard where their game plan was written on, and looked over it. When he was checking their list of allies, he realized there was one cabin missing. “Wait, what about Jason?”

“Shit, right,” Sherman said, adding _Zeus_ to the board. 

“He can do offense with us,” Clarisse said, waving a hand dismissively. “I assume he’s a good sword-fighter?”

“One of the best,” Frank agreed. He hoped it wasn’t an unjust exaggeration, but when Jason and Percy fought, their sword’s flew as if by a mind of their own. Frank knew Jason was exceptionally talented at sword-play, even if he didn’t know his exact ranking within the camp. 

Clarisse considered this. “Not surprising, with a Big Three kid. Yeah, we’ll keep him on offense. He might even be helpful.”

“Or he might electrocute someone,” Mark muttered, and Clarisse waved her hand dismissively. 

“That was one time, and she promised she didn’t mean to,” she said. “Besides, Travis had it coming to him.”

It took Frank a moment to catch up before realizing who they must have been talking about. “Wait, do you mean Thalia?”

Clarisse popped her knuckles before grabbing her spear, getting ready to polish it. “Yeah, daughter of Zeus. You know about her?”

“Percy told me,” Frank said, and some of the Ares kids exchanged looks, like they still weren’t sure if this was a taboo subject or not. “He said her last name is Grace, like Jason’s. Any chance they’re siblings?”  
Sherman blinked. “Oh yeah, I guess they do have the same name. I guess anything’s possible.”

“There’s a few sibling pairings around camp,” Clarisse agreed. “What does Jason think?”

Frank shrugged, feeling a little guilty. “I haven’t asked him yet. I was going to later tonight, at dinner.”

“Well, either way, let me know what he says. If there’s sibling children of Zeus, I want to know.”

***

Frank was still thinking about Thalia when he knocked on the door to the Apollo cabin. He was so deep in thought he startled when the door opened, Will looking down at him. In a millisecond, an image flashed before Frank’s eyes, and he saw the demigod before him dressed in sooty clothes, his hands stained with blood and his face beaded with sweat. _You were a good friend._

“--Frank? Hello, earth to Frank?”  
Frank blinked, and realized he’d zoned out. The demigod standing before him was the same person, but this version of Will was older, with longer curls than before, and a _much_ less anguished look on his face. “Sorry,” Frank said, feeling his cheeks heat up. “Sorry, I-- Clarisse sent me. She said I should ask you for arrows--”

“Oh!” Will said, face brightening. “Yeah, no problem, come on in.”

Frank followed him inside. Despite the bright golden exterior, the Apollo cabin was actually pretty modest, with white plaster walls, pastel bed sheets, and flowers in the windowsills. The back wall was more eye-catching, with sharpie-marker scribbles covering the entire surface, like some campers had decided to doodle on it and it had gotten out of hand.

Will lead him not to that wall, but to the far right one, which was lined with weapons, instruments, and buckets spouting various colored arrows. The buckets weren’t labeled, so Will had to go through them himself, looking at the points to try and figure out what they were. 

“Where’re the other campers?” Frank asked, noting that Will was alone in the cabin. 

“Oh, playing volleyball,” Will said dismissively, digging through another bucket. “I skipped it today to study up on my medical knowledge. Hey, with Capture The Flag tonight, you never know.”

He winked as he said it, and something about the way he turned his head triggered another memory. _Red-covered hands desperately trying to pack the wound, “It’s going to be okay, it’s just a little scratch--”_

“Okay, I don’t do this often, but do you have a problem with me?” Will asked, crossing his arms. 

Frank blinked. He didn’t know what he did wrong. “What?”

“You keep staring at me, it’s rude. Do you have something to say?”

The words bounced around Frank’s head, struggling to find a landing spot. _Rude, staring, problem._ He opened his mouth, trying to find a half-decent excuse, but somehow he landed on “I saw you in a dream.”

Will huffed, pushing his curly hair back frustratedly. “Ugh, _no,_ save it with the pick-up lines. I am _way_ too busy to get involved with a love triangle.”

“Not like that,” Frank said, scowling. “I had a dream about the Battle of Camp Half-Blood. I saw camp being destroyed, and you were there, trying to help-- Castor. As he died. I saw you say goodbye to him.”

Will’s expression managed to grow softer and sadder at the same time, like he was experiencing too many emotions at once. “Oh,” he said, and sat heavily on one of the cots. 

“I’m sorry,” Frank said, realizing his faux-paux too late. “I should’ve just kept it to myself. I just-- I keep seeing it, and I--”

“It’s fine, really,” Will said, taking in a deep breath. “Castor and I were just… friends. He got me in a way that was hard to find, but you know, children of Dionysus are good with stuff like that. Sometimes they just… know.” He scoffed, looking at his lap. “Or, at least they did. There aren’t any left; that’s the real reason Dionysus isn’t at camp much anymore.”

“I’m sorry,” Frank said, not sure what else to say. Sure, they’d had deaths when dealing with their side of the Titan War, but nothing like what Camp Half-Blood faced. Frank figured that was one of the reasons he kept replaying the images from that dream in his mind: they were alien to him, a sort of pain he hadn’t experienced at his own camp. They were hard to let go of.

“We move on,” Will said, pinching the corner of his pink shirt. “Sorry for getting annoyed at you.”

“Sorry for making you sad,” Frank said, feeling genuinely bad. It was a good thing Nico wasn’t around, or he might just kick his ass-- and worse, Frank would deserve it. 

Will pulled out an arrow with an orange tip, twirling it clumsily around his fingers. It wasn’t the movement of a practiced archer, but of a regular old kid with ADHD, just looking for something to fidget with. “I forgive you. And besides, a little bit of sadness is good for you. It’s good to… feel, even if they’re feelings you don’t enjoy.”

Frank tried to keep his cool for as long as possible, just enjoying the wisdom, but eventually he couldn’t help but crack a smile. “Wow, I guess opposites really do attract. From what I know of Nico-- which, I’ll admit, is a lot _less_ than I thought I knew-- he hasn’t felt an emotion since he was like, five.”

Will scoffed, but shared in Frank’s smile. “Yeah yeah, that’s just what the punk wants you to think. Trust me, he gets a lot less scary when you get to know him. One example: he likes scratches behind the ears, like a cat. One big old fluffy black cat.”

“I’ll remember to scratch him behind the ears the next time I see him,” Frank said, and Will wrinkled his nose. 

“Oh yeah, I’m sure that’ll go great. What color flowers do you want at your funeral?”

Frank laughed, relieved that they were able to joke together. Will seemed like a really nice person, and like he’d make a good friend. Plus, it was nice to have new associations with his face other than Frank’s memory of the dream. 

After that, they got back to business, with Will showing him the arrows he could use in Capture the Flag that night. Frank was expecting something that’d spray glitter or cause loud noises, but instead Will gave him a handful of arrows with suction cup tips and purple feathers. “This is a pain arrow,” he narrated, poking the tip with his finger. “Upon a hard enough impact, it’ll send out flashes of pain across your victim’s body. It really fucking hurts, but technically doesn’t count as maiming. I’d suggest to use it as a threat first, and give your opponent a chance to surrender before letting it fly.”

“Um,” Frank said, unsure if this was a good idea. “And you guys think it’s safe and… you know… moral?”

“It’s Capture the Flag, morality has nothing to do with it,” Will said, expression blank enough to make Frank think he might have actually been serious. 

_Greek demigods really are just like that,_ Frank thought, shaking his head _._ “Yeah, okay, thanks. I don’t know if I’ll use them, but it’ll be good to have them handy.”

“That’s the spirit,” Will said, patting Frank’s back. “Now get out of here, I actually have studying to do. But it was nice talking to you! See you at the games tonight!”

Frank was herded out of the cabin with the child of Apollo’s cheery words on his mind, and pain arrows in his hand. _Yeah, sure, why not?_ It was nice to know that even the warmest and fuzziest of cabins were willing to play dirty. 

***

The rest of the afternoon happened in a flurry, and before Frank knew it was dinnertime, and then they were all marching to the woods, decked with armor and bristling with weapons. Frank hadn’t gotten a chance to talk with Jason at dinner, so he caught up with him now, taking note of his gleaming gold breastplate and already-drawn sword. Jason wasn’t wearing his full armor, only his breastplate and arm greaves, and yet he still looked powerful, ready for a fight. “Hey Frank, you ready to kick some ass?” he greeted, clearly buzzing with excitement. 

“Yeah, totally,” Frank said. “But first I actually had something to tell you. It sounds like there might be another--”

Just then, Clarisse started speaking, hyping their team up for victory, and Frank waited, letting her talk. He needed to tell Jason about Thalia, but he wasn’t going to even attempt to be heard over Clarisse. When she finished, Frank turned back to Jason, trying again. “I’ve been trying to tell you, but after lunch I went and--”

“Oh, lunch was so fun,” Jason said, cutting him off. “I played cards with Conner after, it was awesome.”

“That’s great,” Frank said, “But--”

A cheer went up among the other red campers, and Jason thrust his sword in the air, shouting with them. “Let’s talk about it later,” he said to Frank, and Frank barely had time to sigh and nod before the conch horn sounded, signifying the start of the game. 

_I’ll tell him at campfire,_ he decided. It wasn’t exactly a time-sensitive topic, afterall, and it was probably better they talk about it then instead of Frank dropping that information on Jason right before he was supposed to fight. 

Speaking of fighting, Frank had a job to do too. He forced himself to move on from thinking about Thalia, regrounding himself in the present as he jogged through the woods, away from the rest of his siblings. It wasn’t dark out yet, but it was coming up on it, the sky fading from blue to purple with streaks of orange starting to make an appearance. The darkening sky made the already questionable forest seem downright nefarious, though Frank noticed even as the sun fell, the forest stayed moderately well-lit, like the trees themselves were glowing, giving off subtle light. Frank tried not to think about it. 

He was wearing his full armor aside from his helmet, which he did better without. This added an extra challenge to his current jog, but he didn’t mind it. Over his shoulder he’d slung his bow and quiver, equipped with both normal and pain arrows. Frank’s hope was to not have to use any of them; if it was up to him, he’d turn into a bird, find the flag, and get out of here as soon as possible. 

Speaking of, he was pretty sure he was far enough away from his half-siblings at that point. He looked around, double checking, before shifting into a hawk and soaring into the air. The speed increase of running to flying always shocked him, momentarily taking his breath away as he soared into the air at 30 miles an hour, the wind rustling his feathers. His vision wasn’t as great in the low-light, but he could still see every rustling leaf, every twitching root of this forest that was definitely more alive than it seemed. 

As he got closer to the creek, he heard the sound of demigods fighting, arguing, breathing. He could hear the clink of their armor, the slide of their swords, and he navigated around them easily, slipping in between trees. The creek came up-- a rushing body of water 8 feet across-- and Frank took note of a few of his siblings dressed in red trying to get across. Some were slowed down by getting caught up in fighting enemy demigods, but others crossed without issue, running and jumping with loud whoops suitable to children of war. Frank got past faster than any of them, not even having to jump; he just swooped across, no one paying him any mind. 

He soared into enemy territory, keeping an ear out for other demigods, but he had no problems avoiding them. He flew deeper into enemy territory, keeping an eye out for a bright blue flag for him to snag. The Blue Team wouldn’t know what hit them.

***

**Jason**

Saying Jason was excited to play Capture The Flag was an understatement. This was because of three different reasons: 1) he really liked swordplay, 2) beating people in fights was the best way to get serotonin, and 3) Capture The Flag was unlike any experience he could get at Camp Jupiter. Sure, they had War Games, but playing them as a Centurion was way different than playing them as a Legionnaire. He was responsible for watching out for his Cohort, which included creating opportunities for other people to have the limelight. It was the noble thing to do, and Jason enjoyed seeing less-confident demigods get a chance to be recognized, but it meant he couldn’t always be the center of attention. And no, he didn’t _always want to be the center of attention,_ but come on, his step-mother was Juno: peacocking was in his DNA. 

As soon as the conch horn blew, he was off. Clarisse had given him the task of trying to break into enemy territory and find the flag, and Jason was happy to oblige her. He ran along the north side of the woods for a while, straying away from where he figured the bulk of the fighting would be, and kept running until he got close to the river. There, a camper in blue had already crossed, and Jason sped up, running for them. He twirled his sword around his fingers once, turning it back into coin form, and then at the last moment leapt, grabbing onto a tree branch above him. Using his forward momentum, he swung, kicking the camper hard in the helmet and knocking them to the ground. Jason landed a few feet away, straightening, and made eye contact with an Apollo camper a ways behind him. The Apollo camper nodded, and Jason knew she would take the demigod to their ‘jail’, where the camper would be held until the game ended, or one of their teammates freed them. 

Jason flipped his coin back into a sword, and kept running. 

He made trajectory predictions as he neared the creek, trying to figure out the exact level of force he’d have to put behind a jump to clear it. Further downstream, it was narrower across, but here it looked to be at least ten feet, though the banks on either side seemed sturdy. The mortal side of Jason’s brain said _woah, that’s way too far to jump,_ but the godly side said _do a flip!_

One other thing Jason had to prepare for: on the opposite side of the bank stood three demigods in blue. There was a girl, a ginger guy, and an annoyed-looking guy, like he couldn’t believe Jason had the audacity to interrupt their conversation. They had their swords drawn, but Jason didn’t let himself slow down. With one final push, he leapt over the creek, sword raised over-head as if preparing for a deadly strike. At the last moment he tucked it against his chest so it didn’t shank him as he landed on the opposite bank and rolled. 

Jason didn’t have a second to think, only reacted on pure instinct alone. He thrust his arm out, blocking Annoyed Guy’s strike with his arm greave. He grabbed the guy’s wrist and twisted to stand inside his guard. Dropping to one knee, Jason flipped the guy over his shoulder and onto the ground hard. 

He didn’t have time to feel proud though, too busy raising his sword to block a strike from the girl. Jason twisted his grip, trying to disarm her, but she dodged the maneuver and went for a strike at his side. 

At the same time, the ginger guy aimed a blow at Jason’s head. Jason moved without thinking, every step and motion coming to him as naturally as breathing. He flipped his sword, catching it midair as it transformed into a spear, blocking the girl’s blow. Jason yanked the spear back, hitting the ginger guy in the cheek with bruising force and sending him falling to the ground, cussing. 

The girl wasn’t done yet though, and went for another slash, but at this point Jason had figured out her M.O. and dodged under her guard, bringing his spear up like a garrote in front of her neck. He dropped backward, taking her with him, and she found herself on the ground with bruising pressure on her windpipe and nowhere to go. She struggled for a few moments, but Jason just tightened his grip. She realized quickly enough that she was beat and tapped out. 

Jason released his grip, rolling out of the move and turning his spear back into sword-form. He left the demigods where they were, letting them struggle to their feet on their own as he sprinted into the tree-cover, feeling nimble as a deer as he dodged roots and foliage. 

That’s when he made his mistake. He was too overconfident, too focused on finding the flag and dodging enemies, that he forgot about other things that could trip him up. He leapt over a fallen log, and as soon as he landed he thought _oh, fuck._ Underneath his feet, disguised by some leaves, was the distinct feeling of rope. His weight triggered the trap, and in seconds his world was upended. He was yanked into the air by his ankles, left swinging upside down two feet above the ground as the magical ropes wrapped around him, trapping his arms behind him. He tried swinging with his sword, but it wasn’t at the right angle, and he ended up dropping it. 

_Shitting motherfucking son of a gorgon--_ he started thinking, but stopped when he heard footsteps. 

“Well, look at that,” a familiar voice said, and Conner Stoll came into sight, decked out in camouflage clothes and face-paint. “I _told_ you we’d catch something.”

“That you did,” Travis agreed, grinning. “A son of Zeus too, wow. I guess we didn’t need him on our team after all.”

Jason writhed, trying to find a weak point in the net, but there was none. With every motion, he could feel the ropes tighten, trapping him even more. This was bad enough on it’s own, but at the same time, Jason could feel his golden breastplate sliding down, pulled by gravity. It started putting pressure on his neck, and Jason felt a sudden twinge of guilt for the camper he’d just choked. 

“I guess not,” Travis agreed. “Well, we should probably get going. We have a game to win.”

Jason tried to ignore the metal against his neck, and the overall indignity of the situation. “A game to lose, more like it,” he scoffed. “As soon as I get out of this--”

“He’s so annoying,” Conner lamented, rolling his eyes. “Pass me the duck tape?”

“Don’t you dare--” Jason started saying, but was cut off by a piece of tape being slapped over his mouth. 

“There,” Conner said proudly. “Now there will be no calling for help. Don’t worry, we’ll come back for you soon-- _after_ we win.”

 _You won’t get the chance_ , Jason thought, infuriated. _As soon as my sword turns back into a coin and reappears in my pocket--_

He was momentarily distracted by Conner’s hands on him, and he wiggled, trying to get away, but he couldn’t. Before he knew it, something clicked, and Conner slid Jason’s breastplate out from between the ropes, relieving the pressure from his neck. Jason appreciated being able to breathe unimpaired again, but at the same time, that was _his_ breastplate! He’d won it from the palace of Aeolus on his first quest through a trail of blood, sweat and tears, and he _hated_ having it taken from him. He gritted his teeth, deciding, _oh yeah, this is personal now._

“This will be a nice spoil of war,” Conner said, sliding it over his own head and moving so it’d catch the light. Jason knew he was just doing it to get on his nerves, since the imperial gold completely ruined his camouflage.

 _If I just used my powers,_ Jason thought, then stopped himself. He hadn’t trained his powers, and now was _not_ the time to try them out. With his luck, he’d electrocute the Stolls by mistake, and then he could say goodbye to the peace treaty. 

“I think I deserve a spoil too,” Travis said, picking up Jason’s sword from the ground. _That_ pushed Jason over the edge-- his breastplate was one thing, but Reyna had given him that sword. Without another moment’s hesitation, Jason extended out the tiniest bit of his powers, and Travis yelped, dropping the sword, which was now steaming, blue electricity darting up and down the metal. “Gosh, _fine_ , I’ll leave it. Come on Conner, let’s go.”

Conner knelt in front of Jason’s face, patting his cheek mockingly. “Hang tight,” he teased, and then was gone. 

_Stupid fucking Hermes kids,_ Jason thought bitterly, watching them retreat, his breastplate in tow. _But also, stupid fucking Jupiter kid. I should’ve seen the trap._

Well, there was nothing to do about that now besides try to get out. The Stolls seemed to have no problem leaving Jason alone, which meant maybe there weren’t any monsters in this part of the woods, but Jason wasn’t so sure. He just had to wait until his coin returned to his pocket, and then find some way to cut himself free-- preferably without landing on his head, and breaking his neck. 

Jason started wiggling around, trying to get his hands free with no luck, when he heard a noise behind him, a shifting of leaves. He waited for someone to speak up, but no one did. 

_Fuck. So this is where I die,_ Jason thought, and started wiggling more aggressively. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter:  
> \- Capture the flag preparation and talking with the Ares peeps about Thalia  
> \- talking with Will about the dream + arrows  
> \- Capture the flag begins!  
> \- Frank's hawk-eyed adventures  
> \- Jason's fighting + getting trapped
> 
> The next chapter is part 2 of capture the flag shenanigans, and will be up in 48 hours! Until then, please comment and let me know what you think! 😁


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're the type who likes to listen to music to get into the vibes of a story, I listened to this Playlist while writing this chapter: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6AA5sGANrhAp0h1VBoEQ77?si=xHQHBzFTTCajgYZ6AmWLSQ

**Frank**

Frank searched an entire section of enemy territory without any luck. He thought that if he’d passed the flag, he would’ve seen it by now, especially with his improved vision. In hawk form, he saw colors he couldn’t even conceive of in human form, and yet he hadn’t even had glimpses of the bright blue enemy flag. 

He kept searching, slowly making his way to new parts of the woods. While he searched, he tried to help his siblings when possible, transforming into human-form high up in trees and throwing pinecones down at unsuspecting demigods giving the Ares cabin a hard time. It was surprisingly effective, but Frank tried to remain subtle about it. He’d been thinking about revealing his powers to the Greek campers for a while now, and thought he might want to, but now wasn’t the moment. Right now, he still had some level of shock-factor, and he didn’t want to give that up quite yet. 

He kept doing this for a while, until he saw something strange, and landed again. At first glance, he’d thought it was some sort of cocoon, like from some horrific butterfly-monster or something, but once he actually got a good look at it he realized it was _Jason,_ hanging upside down and thoroughly trapped in a net. 

Frank looked around for enemy demigods, but he didn’t see any. Still, it was with caution that he transformed back into human, jumping to the ground with a crunch of leaves. He crept forward, waiting for someone to spring from the bushes, but no one did. 

Just because no one was showing themselves didn’t mean there was no one nearby, so Frank tried to be quick about things. He stepped into Jason’s eyesight, crouching before him and pulling the tape gag off of his mouth. “Dude, what are you _doing?”_

“Oh, just hanging out,” Jason said sarcastically, his face red from being upside down so long. “What do you _think_ I’m doing?! I was trapped by the Stolls, help me down!”

“Well, since you asked so nicely,” Frank said, and straightened, grabbing a normal arrow from his quiver. The edges were sharp as knives, and should have no trouble cutting through the single strand of rope holding Jason up. Frank grabbed Jason’s ankle, stopping his gentle swaying, and Jason squawked. 

“Wait, stop, I'll break my--”  
Frank ignored him and sliced the rope in half. Jason shrieked as he dropped-- a whole two inches, before Frank’s hand tightened and he kept him upright by his ankle, holding on with one arm. 

Jason wriggled around, getting the rest of the ropes to fall off him until he was free. “How-- what--”

“I’m a Mars kid,” Frank said, frowning. “You don’t think I could hold up a twig like you?”

“I am _not_ a twig,” Jason defended. His face was really red from the blood-rush, and Frank took pity on him, helping him to the ground carefully. Jason righted himself, having to take a few moments to readjust to gravity before standing shakily. 

“Are you alright?” Frank said, genuinely a little worried. Jason drew his sword, shaking his hands out, and looked a little better.

“I’m fine,” he promised, then seemed to come to his senses. “Thank you for the assist. I greatly appreciate you not breaking my neck, or you know, leaving me to die.”

“My pleasure,” Frank said, smiling slightly. 

Jason picked a direction, and they started jogging that way, deciding to explore together without having to talk about it. “Percy doesn’t need to hear about this,” Jason said, still blushing, and Frank laughed. 

“Yeah, right. We’ll see how generous I’m feeling.”

They were only moving for a minute or so before encountering a demigod dressed in blue. It was a moderately big guy with close-cropped hair and an intense expression on his face. Frank recognized him as Butch, the head coucilor of Iris, and drew his bow, though he didn’t end up needing it. 

Jason stepped into combat like it was his second-nature, fighting sword-on-sword at a speed almost too fast to see. 

Butch ducked behind a tree and Jason’s sword lodged in it, giving Butch an opening. Luckily, Jason let go of his sword and dodged back, then grabbed his sword again and spun around, ripping it from the tree and bashing it against Butch’s shoulder. That caused Butch to stumble backward, gritting his teeth, but he didn’t fall. 

He aimed another strike at the same time as he waved his hand, and Jason averted his eyes, as if they’d just been hit with a ray of light. While he was blinded, Butch had an opening, but luckily Jason was smarter than that, and managed to dodge as if on instinct alone. 

It was the type of move Frank couldn’t do, as one of the few non-ADHD demigods, but had always been impressed by. Jason had pretty spectacular reflexes, and while he was still blinded managed to jump up, grabbing onto a tree-branch high above. He twisted, wrapping his legs around Butch’s neck, and dove backward, flipping Butch onto the ground behind him with devestating force. 

Jason stood, blinking spots out of his eyes, and offered Frank a sharp grin. “Ready to keep going?”

They kept running while Butch was too dazed to stand, and Frank tried to keep his freakout _internal._ Fucking Big Three Kids, with their crazy intense powers. Frank would never get used to it. 

“I’ll be right back,” Frank promised, refocusing on their goal. Jason nodded curtly, and Frank shifted back into hawk form, soaring between the trees. He scouted the area, noting how his hawk-vision was decreasing as it grew darker and darker. Still, it wasn’t any worse than his human night-vision, so he pressed forward, until he eventually caught a glimpse of bright blue fabric and circled back to get Jason. He found him over the bodies of two demigods, his spear in his hand. The demigods were still breathing, but one was groaning, cupping their nose like it was broken. 

_Fucking terrifying Big Three Kids,_ Frank thought again. He didn’t want to expose his powers in front of other demigods, so he tried to come in for a landing in a different way. Jason noticed him coming by, and raised his armored arm, letting Frank soar in and land there, powerful claws squeezing imperial gold plates. He was a little impressed Jason had thought to raise his arm like that, but then again, they had been getting closer while at the Greek camp, so it shouldn’t be that surprising that they were starting to understand each other’s intentions without speaking. It was the sign of a good alliance-- and a strong friendship. 

Jason cautiously moved Frank to his shoulder, which was unprotected, and Frank tried not to dig his claws in too hard. “Which way?” Jason asked, and Frank tilted his head in the direction, tightening his grip as Jason took off running, spear in hand. 

Once they were away from the demigods, Frank turned back into human form. "This way!"

They got to the flag, which was attached to a 10-foot pole centered in the middle of a small clearing, still muddy from the day’s rain. And, only a little ways away from the pole, stood Hazel-- golden spatha in hand, and dressed in full armor with a blue shirt underneath. 

***

**Hazel**

The Hades cabin had been assigned to flag-guarding duty, which meant that when the conch horn blew, Hazel was standing an appropriate distance away from their blue flag, prepared for combat. Nico stood on the other side of it, notably less ready, and he managed to stay quiet for a full thirty seconds before saying “I doubt they’ll even find it.”

Hazel frowned. “What?”

“I doubt they’ll even find our flag, Annabeth hid it well. Two guards is overkill, especially when they’re both children of Pluto. Would you mind if I left, and caused some havoc for the other team instead?”

By ‘cause some havoc’, Hazel was pretty sure Nico meant ‘go annoy Will because he didn’t want to make an alliance with me’, but she didn’t say that outloud. She wasn’t sure if it was smart to have only one person guarding the flag, especially with Annabeth’s approval on the line-- the girl was a little crazy, but Hazel respected her intensity, and wanted her allyship-- but at the same time, she was confident in her own abilities. She’d been training like crazy to keep her napping-fits at bay, and even before arriving at Camp Jupiter, she’d known her power. She could handle protecting one triangle of cloth. 

So she sent Nico on his way, and kept an eye out for any campers in red. A few ended up finding her, but the fights were short-lasted before one of her allies from the Athena cabin backed her up, and the enemy campers were taken to jail. This left Hazel feeling warmed up, but jumpy. She felt like the main event was coming up and she wanted more than anything to be ready. She’d decided earlier in the day to embrace her powers as a daughter of Pluto, not letting herself get caught up in mediocrity, and this was her chance to do just that. 

The challenge came, not in the form of charging Ares campers, or sneaky Apollo kids, but in the forms of Jason and Frank emerging from the woods. They stopped when they saw her, and she felt herself catch her breath too. Both of them looked a little roughed up, like they’d fought their way here, and both were brandishing weapons. They were here for the flag, and the only thing between them and it was, well, her. 

Her heart was pounding in her chest, but she forced herself to calm, to focus. When she’d first arrived at camp, she’d immediately clocked Jason and Frank as two of the most powerful demigods there: Jason with his centurianship, impressive parentage, and sword fighting skills, and Frank with his deadly accuracy with a bow that people in the archery range gossiped about constantly, and his lesser-known but unchallenged shapeshifting abilities. They wouldn’t be easy opponents, especially when it was two on one, but on the plus side, Hazel had bounds of information on them to exploit. That was one of the benefits to being friends with people-- you knew them well enough to know how to make them hurt. 

As they sized her up, she did the same. Jason wasn’t wearing his breastplate, which meant his chest and back were exposed. His sword was drawn, but she knew he could transform it into spear-form, and would have to be prepared for it. Jason tended to fight incredibly offensively, pushing his opponents back and controlling their movements. Hazel could expect him to play dirty. As for Frank… he would stay at a distance, using his arrows against her. She wondered if the arrows were blunt tipped, but she didn’t let herself waste time on that thought. If one of his arrows connected with her, she had to assume she’d be incapacitated, which meant she couldn’t let _any_ of them touch her. 

She didn’t have any more time to strategize, because just then Jason was sauntering forward, not smiling but clearly confident. “If you give us the flag now, we can call a truce. We’re friends, right?”

“We are,” Hazel agreed, hefting her sword. “But that doesn’t mean I’ll let you take that flag.”

Jason’s expression shifted just barely, eyes narrowing, but Hazel recognized it for what it was. He’d given her a chance to back down and leave with her integrity intact, but now that she’d denied him, he wouldn’t be going easy on her. 

_Good,_ Hazel thought, almost against her will. _I don’t need him to._

Jason struck so fast she almost didn’t have time to react, but she caught his blade in her’s just in time, her arm twinging in pain from the force of the blow. 

Jason didn’t even hesitate before swinging again, and she blocked him once more, then ducked, slicing at his legs. He jumped back, and they got in a rhythm, swinging and dodging and parrying and slicing, getting painfully close to making impact between metal and flesh before getting blocked. 

It took every part of Hazel’s concentration to try and stay grounded in the fight, feeling like she was barely managing to hold her ground, but she pushed forward. Earlier in the day she’d lamented about how she’d never be as good at swordplay as Jason or Percy, the other Big Three kids, her competition-- and yet here she was holding her ground against Jason. He wasn’t holding back either, his forehead beaded with sweat and impossible force behind every blow, but Hazel fought back, blocking and thrusting and stabbing and ducking. Jason was slippery, all-too-willing to move with the flow of the fight, trying to play dirty with kicks or elbows when he got the chance to, but Hazel was just as agile. She learned his fighting style, figuring out how to match it, how to combat it. 

She’d seen him fighting Percy on occasion, noted the way they traded comments back and forth like blows, but Jason didn’t try talking to her now. It seemed as if, maybe, he was as caught up in this fight as she was, struggling to keep his ground just as much as her. The fight was difficult, but she didn’t feel like she was seconds from losing, which was good. 

Hazel realized, too late, that he didn’t _need_ her to lose, only needed her to stay distracted. She cursed herself, and sent her senses out through the ground beneath her, trying to find Frank without looking for him. She felt the exact moment he lifted off the ground, undoubtedly turning into a bird of some kind, and she shouted through her teeth and kicked Jason back with enough force to send him rolling. 

She only had a moment of freedom, but that’s all she needed, sending her powers out across the ground and sending a giant mud-ball right at the hawk that was Frank. It hit him square on, sending him sprawling to the ground, and he shifted back into human form, rolling in the mud. 

Then Jason was back on her and Hazel had to shift her focus once more. She didn’t bring all of her concentration back to the fight, though, keeping some of her energy in the ground, keeping track of Frank. She felt him rise to his feet, staggering his stance, and glanced over just in time to see him draw back a purple-tipped arrow. 

She blocked a hit from Jason’s sword and flicked her hand up, forcing a sharp spike of rock to shoot up from the ground, intercepting Frank’s arrow before it could hit her. 

She jabbed at Jason, and he hit her sword downward, making her stumble forward. _Nonono,_ she thought, immediately knowing she was in trouble. The butt of his sword came down on her helmet, making her collapse onto her elbows, her head throbbing. 

She rolled, trying to get away, but Jason thrust his sword in the ground an inch from her face, stopping her. He fell on top of her, pinning her sloppily, but effectively. She tried to scramble out from underneath him, but she was still disoriented from the hit, and he pinned her elbows on either side of her head, squeezing her waist painfully between his knees. Hazel kept struggling, but there wasn’t anywhere she could go, so she made herself stop, breathing hard. 

She expected Jason to gloat, but he was breathing just as hard as she was, nearly dripping sweat. “Frank, get the flag!” he shouted, squeezing Hazel’s waist tighter with his knees, which Hazel now realized were shaking from exertion. Even if she didn’t win this fight, she would have put up a good effort, making the son of Jupiter work harder than any other demigod had made him that night. It was an accomplishment on it’s own-- but Hazel hadn’t given up quite yet. 

She could feel her father’s power coursing through her blood, and closed her eyes, focusing on the sensations around her. She was a daughter of Pluto, God of the Underworld and _underground,_ and she could feel the earth as if it was her own body, feel every step Frank took toward the flag, feel how his boots sunk into the mud. 

_That works,_ she thought, and drew him in. She couldn’t see it with her eyes closed, but she heard Frank’s shout, could feel his body sinking into the mud like she was closing her fist around him, tugging him deeper into the underground. 

She felt a new sensation, and opened her eyes, meeting Jason’s above her. He was clenching his teeth, face sweat-streaked, and his golden sword was pressed against her neck. “Stop that,” he said, the threat clear. 

Hazel considered her options, still feeling Frank’s body sinking underground. He was up to about his waist now, and it’d be better if she could get him in deeper, but this was probably good enough, so she stopped him. 

She knew Jason wouldn’t actually slit her throat-- he was waiting for her surrender, so he could rise and get the flag unopposed. Hazel acknowledged she wasn’t in a great spot right now, pinned by the son of Jupiter and weaponless, but that didn’t mean she wanted to give up. 

A dozen different scenarios ran through her head at that moment, different ways she could use her powers to disarm Jason, retrieve her sword, _something,_ but all of them left her in the same place, trapped underneath him. What she needed wasn’t a weapon, but an _escape._

_I did say I’d have to get good at this eventually,_ Hazel thought, only slightly annoyed. She would prefer not to do this, but she didn't see any better options. She leaned into a different part of her parentage, feeling the new sensation rushing through her, making her entire body tingle. The last thing she saw was the widening of Jason’s eyes as she dissolved into shadows. 

The shadow realm was darker than anything _possible_ in the mortal world. It was filled with chattering spirits, their voices whispering about all the things Hazel didn’t want to hear about, but she ignored them, picturing the place she wanted to land. 

She reemerged in the mortal world, standing a few feet behind Jason, who was still on his hands and knees. He turned, looking as shocked as Hazel felt. _Wow, okay, that really worked,_ she thought. She felt a little woozy, but she’d _done it._

She should’ve moved faster, assessed her new surroundings better. Too late, her eyes landed on Frank, who was still stuck half-way in the mud, but she was right when she’d thought that he needed to sink in deeper. His arms were still free, and his bow was in hand, loaded with another one of those purple-feathered arrows. He let it loose, and Hazel didn’t have the chance to try and defend herself in any way. It shot toward her, almost to her, and then… then kept going, straight through her. It broke against a tree behind her. 

She looked down, wondering if the arrow had really pierced her body and armor both, but there was no sign that it’d even touched her. Too late, she realized she was still transparent, half-ghost from her visit to the shadow world. She squeezed her fists and felt her body solidify, fully human once more. 

Frank and Jason were both giving her absolutely horrified looks, which was probably fair. They’d never seen her powers; they didn’t know what she was capable of. 

_It seems like I don’t know what I’m capable of either,_ Hazel thought, not minding this knowledge. _Guess I better wrap this up._

She waved her hands, and mud crept up both Frank and Jason’s bodies, not fully covering them, but very thoroughly trapping them, and keeping them from properly accessing their weapons. As soon as she was done, spots danced in her eyes, but that was fine. She’d done her job. 

There was a rustling sound, and she turned, thinking it was more enemy soldiers. Instead, it was Annabeth, blond hair in a ponytail and forehead smudged with dirt. She held a fist of red fabric in her hand-- the other team’s flag. She took her time walking to the flagpole, acknowledging the boys half-consumed by the ground by stepping around them, and attached the red flag to the same rope as their own blue flag, hoisting it into the air. Conch horns sounded, signifying the end of the game, and Annabeth sighed, wiping her face. “Hazel,” she greeted. 

Hazel didn’t say anything as Annabeth walked over to her, uncaring of the way her tennis shoes squelched in the mud. Annabeth glanced at the carnage around her, the weapons scattered across the ground, Jason and Frank both very much incapacitated, and cocked her head to the side, looking impressed. “Not bad,” she said finally, then offered her hand for Hazel to shake. “Glad to have you on the team.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter:  
> \- Frank threw pinecones to help the cause (congrats to the commenter who predicted something close to this!!)  
> \- Frank found and helped Jason from the trap (with an adequate amount of shaming)  
> \- Jason vs Butch (and Frank's ensuring Big Three Panic-- aka, panic of holy shit, Big Three kids are so extra and way too powerful and im trying to keep my cool but bRUH)  
> \- Frank scouting in Hawk form and coming back to land on Jason's arm like he's his animal sidekick (also, let's not sleep on the fact that Jason fought another two-on-one battle and won it without problem)  
> \- finding Hazel, and HAZEL'S POV!!!  
> \- Hazel vs Jason (with Frank shooting arrows-- Frank, I thought you said the purple arrows wouldn't be necessary?)  
> \- Hazel powers reveal!!  
> \- Annabeth retrieving the flag
> 
> Quick note about Big Three kids: in the canon of this fic, all Big Three kids have the same level of potential when it comes to their powers/fighting abilities. Their powers can become stronger with more training/practice, but they all have the same base level of abilities. Some will do better with different weapons, some will have more helpful powers, etc, but they all have the same amount of powers. Therefore, of course Jason won the sword fight, because he had more training and works well with that weapon, but no one should be surprised that Hazel won in the end because unlike Jason the wimp, she actually is willing to use her powers ;)
> 
> Please comment and tell me all of your thoughts!! I'm sooooo excited for the comments on this chapter-- feed me with your validation and introspection 🥺


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get ready for a big boy chapter!! I better get a SHIT-load of comments on this one-- it's double the size :)

**Jason**

"She has powers." 

Jason was sitting on the floor of the Poseidon cabin, in front of the fountain. It was after Capture The Flag, and they had a little time to clean up before Campfire. Jason had already showered, probably putting his stall out of commission from all the mud he'd rinsed off. Hazel had gotten him _good._

"Hazel has powers?" Reyna asked through the Iris Message, looking enticed. 

Jason grinned. He was still practically bouncing with excitement; that had been one of the best fights of his _life._ " _Yes._ And not like, regular-ass powers, but _powers_ powers. We were playing Greek War Games and it ended up being Frank and I against her, literally two against one, and she kicked our asses. It was _spectacular_." 

Reyna considered this. "What type of powers? The same as Nico's?"

"I don't really know what powers Nico has," Jason admitted. "But it was like, a lot of earth magic. She threw mud with her mind, she created sinkholes like it was nothing, and she made giant rocks shoot up from the ground to deflect arrows. And that wasn't all, she had other powers too that I _still_ don't understand. At one point I think she turned into a fucking _ghost."_

"I _knew_ she was powerful," Reyna said, the corner of her mouth turning up in a smile. "As soon as she gets back, we'll start her training. Have you thought at all about starting powers training yourself?"

"I think I want to," Jason admitted. "Swordplay isn't enough, especially when I'm not with the legion. And after seeing what Hazel could do… I don't think I can keep pretending to be a normal demigod." 

"Agreed. You deserve to reach your full potential." 

_My full potential._ Jason had a strange relationship with those words, always feeling like he was expected to reach some impossible standard, but it didn't feel like that anymore. Playing Capture The Flag had made him vividly aware of his strengths, but also his weaknesses. By not learning to use his powers these past few months, he'd been holding himself back, actively stunting his growth. Now that he knew that, he didn't think he could keep giving into it.

"We should probably train somewhere other than the arena," Jason noted, thinking about the logistics. "With Hazel's powers… I don't know. I think she could trash the place without even trying."

This seemed to intrigue Reyna. "Her powers are that strong already, without any proper training? Alright, I'll look into finding a new space for you. We do have a little extra money in the budget, perhaps the engineers can whip something up." 

"A special place just for power training," Jason considered, nodding. "That sounds great."

Reyna took a paper-pad from her side table and scribbled down a few notes. Jason watched as she did, noting the sections of hair that had fallen out of her side braid, the way her shirt's neckline hung slightly crooked. He'd woken her up from a pre-dinner nap with his call, which meant she was wearing her glasses instead of contacts like normal. Personally, Jason thought she looked really hot-- or maybe cute or sweet or adorable, or a host of other words he wouldn’t dare call the leader of Rome-- but he kept those thoughts to himself.

He really liked being around Reyna. He liked talking shop with her, like they'd just been doing, praetor to centurion, but he also liked when they switched up their narrative. 

"I miss you," he said, propping his knee up to lean against it. 

"You've been gone less than a week," Reyna responded dryly, not even looking up. "You were away longer on your first quest."

"Yeah, but that was before we'd really started flirting. It's different this time." Reyna hummed but didn't say anything, still making notes, and Jason tried a different approach. "Do you miss me?"

"Less than a week," she reminded, but Jason persisted. 

"Oh, come on," he said, looking up through his eyelashes. "You can just admit that you miss me, it's alright."

She huffed, setting the notepad aside. Internally, Jason cheered, happy to have her full attention again. "I miss you, but only for your entertainment value," she said, still trying to keep up her cool composure. "Octavian is just as much of a workaholic as I am. It's no fun being around someone who's problematic in the exact same way as you are."

"How is that going, by the way? His inauguration was yesterday, wasn't it?"

"It was," Reyna confirmed. "And it's been fine. Helpful, even, to have someone else to give some of my workload too. I've even had enough time to eat meals in the Dining Hall. Octavian joins me, and I've started making Percy join us as well." 

Jason grinned. "Oh yeah? How does that go?" It was no secret that Percy hated Octavian's guts. Early on, Octavian had pushed Percy's buttons in a big way-- said something about an incomplete quest, a failed destiny-- and they'd been basically arch rivals ever since. 

"Mostly, Percy just looks miserable," Reyna said, seeming to revel in this. "He acts like a troubled student forced to sit through a parent teacher conference. It's pretty funny, but that's not why I do it."

"Why do you do it?"

She waved her hand, like it wasn't important. "It's just a precaution. With Frank gone, I've done my best to keep an eye on him. I don't think he's sleeping at all, but he eats when he sits with us, and he's been doing well lifeguarding. That reminds me, I need to make sure there's some sort of water element to what the engineers create-- Percy needs to train his powers as well." 

Jason considered this. He'd only ever seen glimpses of Percy's abilities, but everyone seemed to think he was way more capable than he was letting on, and Jason believed it. "Theoretically, he's super powerful already, and he's had years practicing controlling his magic. Why bother training him?"

"You forget that he hasn't been actually _using_ his powers in nearly four years. He's rusty; besides, Big Three kids have a huge capacity for using their powers. The more they train, the stronger their powers get, until they're basically on par with minor gods."

"With minor-- Reyna, holy shit," Jason said. He'd basically only ever used his powers on _accident,_ plus that whole thing with the sea serpent. Earlier that day, he'd used his powers to give Travis Stoll a tiny electric shock, the same level as he might get from static. The idea that he could train his powers to eventually be on the same level as a minor god was unfathomable. 

"I have a book about it that I'll lend you, once you get back," she said. "The research was done through New Rome University, oh, 50 years ago, but it's still relevant today. I've reread it a few times-- I guess you could say I have a bit of a special interest in Big Three kids." 

Jason cocked a smile. "Oh yeah? Is that why you're with me-- am I part of your special interest?"

"Maybe," Reyna teased. "Would that be so bad?"

"No complaints here," Jason promised. The Iris Message began fading, so he tossed another coin in. "By the way, before I forget, I want to do some of my powers training with Frank. We worked together during the game today and it went really well, I wonder if we could figure out ways to better combine our abilities in the future." 

"We can definitely do that," Reyna said, scribbling down another memo. "In fact, all of you should start training together, either one-on-one or in large group sessions. I think it’s fair to say that from this point on, you'll probably be sent on quests together, so you might as well start training together too." 

_More quests._ Jason imagined being sent to capture monsters for the arena, to deal with minor gods in the Midwest, to look into trouble stirring along the coast. He imagined traveling with Frank and Hazel, spending nights in motels and getting fast food. It felt surreal, like a combination of his current life at camp and his past one pretending to be mortal. He couldn't tell if he wanted it or not. 

"This is all theoretical, of course," Reyna said, seeming to note Jason's hesitation. "First you need to come back to camp so we can finish getting this alliance sorted out." 

"Agreed," Jason said. “How are the preparations for the Greeks’ arrival going?”  
They talked about the peace treaty for a little longer, before the Iris Message started fading again. “I’ll see what I can do about the new training area, and get back to you as soon as possible. Until then, keep making friends.”

“Can do,” Jason promised. “Good luck with Octavian stuff, and everything else going on at camp right now. Miss you.”

Reyna rolled her eyes playfully but said “Alright, I miss you too. Stay safe.”

The message faded completely, and Jason sighed, a small smile on his lips. He was excited to get to see Reyna again. He liked being around her, even in the small moments, even when they barely spoke. And besides, he still owed her that walk.

***

Jason made his way down to the campfire, where people were starting to gather around. The Ares cabin was already there, and Jason found Frank planted on a log close to the fire, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders. It took Jason a moment to realize that Hazel was sitting beside him, also with the blanket over her shoulders. _Aww,_ Jason thought instinctually. _I ship it._

“Frank,” Jason greeted, walking over to them. “Hazel. Great game, by the way. You know, people pay a lot for mud baths, I should thank you for giving me one for free.”

“Anytime,” Hazel said, smiling softly. She seemed to be fighting to stay awake-- probably why she was already so cuddled up to Frank’s side. “You did good too. You’re easily the best person I’ve ever sword-faught.”

“Yeah, well, obviously you haven’t sword-faught that many people,” Jason said modestly, sitting on the log beside them. His confidence in his sword-fighting ability jumped up and down constantly, with him believing one minute that he was practically unmatched in skill, and thinking the next that he was barely passable. It was probably just his perfectionism-- a lifetime of believing _if I don’t get good grades I’ll literally die_ could do that to a person. He’d work on it. 

“And Frank,” Jason said, patting Frank on the shoulder. “It was good to have you on the team. I’m sure there’s participation trophies for us around here somewhere.”

Frank scoffed. “Yeah, I bet.” He was smiling, but there was some sort of tension behind his eyes that Jason wasn’t sure how to read. _You good?_ Jason mouthed, and Frank shrugged, looking at the fire instead of Jason’s face. 

Well, that wasn’t great. Jason would have to pry later-- maybe when Hazel wasn’t around. 

He noticed someone a few logs away, and stood. “I’ll be back in a minute,” he told Frank and Hazel before going over. “Hey Travis. Is Conner around? He still has my breastplate.”

“Sorry dude, that’s a spoil of war now,” Travis said, though the glimmer in his eyes gave away that he was bullshitting. “Fair’s fair.”

“Yeah right,” Jason said, shoving him playfully. “Seriously though, is he around?”

“He actually wasn’t feeling well, he decided to stay back at the cabin. He’s probably still awake if you want to talk to him.”

Jason patted him on the back, and headed back toward the cabins. He didn’t want his breastplate staying in the Hermes cabin any longer than absolutely necessary, and besides, he had a few choice words to share with Conner. Stealing a man’s dignity was one thing, but his breastplate? That was too far.

***

**Frank**

A few minutes after Jason left the campfire, Hazel fell asleep, leaning against Frank’s side. It was sweet that she trusted him enough to feel comfortable doing that, but honestly Frank’s thoughts were so all over the place he had a hard time caring. 

He felt bad for feeling this way, especially after Jason came over and was such a gracious loser. He congratulated Hazel on her win, sounding like he’d completely moved on already. Maybe Frank should’ve moved on by now too, but he hadn’t.

When he’d seen Hazel guarding the flag, a lot of thoughts passed through his mind. He’d been surprised that she was left there all alone, especially seeing as she was just a _probatio,_ and even if the Greeks didn’t understand what that meant, they knew she was newer to camp. She hadn’t had much time to train, even including her time in the Underworld. Frank had been worried she’d been set up for failure. He’d been worried she’d get hurt. 

And then… she didn’t. She stood her ground against Jason, fighting so well that for a few moments, Frank had just stood there, stunned. Eventually, he realized that he shouldn’t be afraid of her getting hurt, but of his own team losing, so he refocused his goal on getting the flag. He’d turned into a hawk, but she’d knocked him out of the air like it was nothing. She was still fighting Jason like a whirlwind, so Frank figured maybe what he needed to do was incapacitate her so they could just get the flag without anything bad happening. He’d notched one of the pain arrows, despite originally not wanting to use them. He thought maybe if he could just shoot her with one of those, he and Jason could win quickly. 

But she’d deflected the arrow like it was nothing, sending a huge spire of rock straight up from the ground. As the fight continued, she outmaneuvered both him and Jason at every turn, fighting like it was the most important thing in her life. At one point, Frank had made a desperate run for the flag, only to sink straight into the earth. He’d been helpless to stop his progression, not knowing how far he’d go. Part of him wondered if he’d ever stop sinking, or if he would go all the way underground, choking and suffocating on mud.

Jason had seen his face and threatened Hazel to stop, but even then, it took a few seconds for her to do so. Even then, Frank was still stuck.

There was something about that moment that Frank just couldn’t stop thinking about. It had just been so _easy_. He wondered if it would’ve taken Hazel any effort at all to drown him right then. He wondered if could’ve pulled him all the way down to Tartarus without breaking a sweat. 

It was terrifying to think what she could do to him, if she were so inclined. If _this_ was her reaction to a silly little fight between friends, how would she react to an actual enemy?

Frank didn’t want to be scared of her, but there was a part of him that couldn’t help it. He’d always seen Hazel as sweet. Upon their second meeting, he’d turned into a bear and saved her, like a magical moment from a movie. But if this was how powerful she’d been all along, had she ever needed his help? Why did she keep him around at all?

Internally, Frank chided himself. He knew he was probably being sexist, maybe racist too, who even knew. He’d never felt this way about Percy or Jason, and they were Big Three kids just like her. He just… was scared, and he didn’t want to be scared with Hazel. 

He turned his head, looking at her sleeping face as she napped against his side. She was just… so small, and so cautious, and quiet, and when she held him in his pug-form she was so gentle, and he just… he was really, really scared of what she could do to him, and it made him feel sick, because he didn’t _want_ to be scared. He just couldn’t help it. 

Chiron came to the front and started making announcements, and Hazel stirred. Quickly, Frank wiped his eyes-- fuck, he was such a big baby, _fuck--_ and when he looked down, Hazel was just waking up. She smiled up at him, eyes still half closed, and he squeezed her a little, like a hug. 

_She shouldn’t scare me,_ he reminded himself. _It’s not fair to her if I let her powers scare me._

Chiron made a few announcements about the going-ons around camp, and then there was a chance for individual campers to come up. Annabeth went first, dressed in the same clothes from earlier with her sword over her back, and congratulated her team on their win, paying extra homage to Hazel in specific. A random girl from the Hebe cabin came up after and announced that she’d be going on her first ever quest in a few weeks, and set up a clipboard in case anyone wanted to volunteer to help prepare. After that came Will, looking happy but anxious, who announced that they were going to switch to using only they/them pronouns, to lots of cheering. Hazel chimed in, grinning as she clapped and whooped. Will’s face went pink, but they were smiling as they ducked their head and returned to Nico’s side, who hugged them. 

“I’m so glad for them,” Hazel said close to Frank’s ear, so she could be heard over the commotion. Frank nodded, happy too, though his mind was admittedly elsewhere. 

There were a few more little announcements like that, and then they concluded and campers started making their way to the campfire, marshmallows in hand. 

“Let’s move back a few rows, give them some room,” Hazel suggested, and Frank nodded, getting his stuff together. They got settled in their new seats, and Hazel cozied up to Frank’s side, probably colder now that they were away from the fire. 

“You were really amazing tonight,” Frank said, a little quieter than his normal voice. “I just wanted you to know.”

Hazel beamed up at him. “Thanks. I’m a little worried I pushed myself too hard, and will be magically exhausted tomorrow, but hopefully it’ll be alright.”

“Yeah,” Frank said. “Hopefully.”

She gave him a strange look. “Are you alright? You seem kind of, I don’t know. Out of it.”

 _I'm just tired,_ he imagined himself saying. _Just sleepy. Don't worry about it._

He wanted to say that. He wanted to just lie and see if these thoughts would go away on their own, but he knew he couldn't. Hazel was reaching out to him, and he couldn't just brush her aside like that. 

"Your powers were really intimidating," he muttered, unable to meet her eyes. "I guess I'm just having trouble… processing. I mean, I figured you'd have powers, but not like that."

He waited for her to respond, but after she was quiet for a few moments he turned to look at her. She was gazing into the fire, frown lines between her eyebrows. "I guess my powers have always been strong," she said, considering this. "When I was alive… well, in my past life, I ended up using them a lot. It was worse because I had-- well, I guess you'd call it a curse. Gems and precious metals popped up wherever I walked, and my mom tried to sell them to pay for our lifestyle, but they were cursed. They ended up causing a lot of pain." She ducked her head, ashamed, and Frank was caught in between wanting her to stop telling this story so she could just go back to being happy, and wanting to hear the end. 

"I used my powers in other ways too," Hazel ventured. "There was this island… I don't want to get into it, but there was this island that I went to, and that's where I really learned how to control the earth. It's also where my mom and I died-- not my powers going wrong, but my powers going right." She shook her head, as if trying to escape the memory. "The point is, I know my powers are scary. I know they can bring about a lot of harm. I just-- I want to use them in a way that is _good._ I want to use them in meaningful ways, for the legion. So… I'm sorry if they scared you. It wasn’t my intention." 

"Maybe scared isn't the right word," Frank offered, trying, weakly, to sound upbeat. "Maybe I was just… surprised."

Hazel gave him a look like she didn't quite believe him. "Surprised?"

"I mean, you did try to suck me into the earth," Frank said, trying to make it sound humorous. "I'd consider that a _little_ startling. The point is: you're right, you should learn your powers and train them and be able to use them in huge ways to help the camp, and you shouldn't let my own anxieties get in the way of that. It’s intimidating, but I'll deal with it and--" 

"It's okay to need support," Hazel said, looking directly into Frank's eyes. Her golden eyes looked darker in the low-light, a honeyed sort of brown, and they were one of the most beautiful things Frank had ever seen. _She_ was one of the most beautiful things he'd ever seen.

Frank cleared his throat and made himself look away. "You're right. I just feel awful… doubting you. I wish I could be like Jason, and just tell you your powers are epic and then be able to move on like that, but--" 

"Hey, I don't want you to be Jason," Hazel scolded playfully. "I like you better as Frank." 

Frank was pretty sure his face was bright red. He just hoped she couldn't see it in the firelight. "I'll get over my fears," he said. "Promise." 

"Okay. But if there's anything I can do to help, you'll tell me, right? You don't need to deal with this alone." 

"I will," Frank swore, keeping his voice down. "Thank you." 

Hazel smiled at him. "Hey, what're friends for?"

***

**Jason**

Jason was halfway through sucking Conner's brain out through his dick when there was a knock on the door.

There were a couple reasons Jason wanted to fuck Conner. First of all, Conner had been flirting with him all day, and there was nothing sexier than enthusiasm. It also helped that Conner was Jason's type: hot, athletic, with dark brown hair and more impressive v-lines than one would expect. He was also super bitchy, which was great, and Jason felt a moral duty to fuck anyone who held a sword to his throat in a fight. He thought that might be a _slightly_ problematic thing to be turned on by, given his profession, but he didn't really care. 

He also couldn't help thinking about how Chiron had said that he, Hazel, and Frank couldn't be in a cabin together because when demigods of different parents were put in a cabin together, they ended up having sex. Then, Chiron had put him with the Hermes kids anyway. Jason hated to break a precedent.

Things had been going well. Conner had given Jason back his breastplate-- after a slight altercation that included Conner saying "make me" and Jason having to put him in his place by making out with him until he eventually dropped it-- and then one thing had lead to another, ending up with Jason on Conner's bunk, both of them naked as Jason put his oral skills to work. Based on the way Conner had been moaning, Jason was pretty sure he was getting close to, erm, _finishing things up,_ when there was a knock on the door. Jason pulled off so quickly he nearly got whiplash, and Conner shoved his head down against the sheets, covering him with the blanket frantically.

Jason tried to quiet his breathing as he listened to the door open and someone come in. Jason and Conner were on the top bunk, which meant if Jason kept still enough, and the new person didn't come too close, they might be able to avoid being caught. 

"Conner? Are you up?" A soft, vaguely-male voice said. 

Conner fake-coughed and made his voice sound hoarse as he answered, "Cecil? Is that you?" 

"Yeah," Cecil answered. "Sorry, did I wake you up?"

"You did," Conner said, lying with impressive confidence.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I should let you sleep, I was just wondering if you could give me some advice--" 

"Sorry bud, I'm really sick," Conner said, coughing again. Jason had to press his hand over his mouth to keep from laughing. "Let's talk tomorrow though, okay?" 

"I guess so," Cecil said, sounding disappointed. "Do you have a fever? Your face is all red."

Jason was trembling with laughter at this point, barely managing to rein it in. Conner pinched him under the blanket, and Jason sobered, biting his hand to keep the laughter at bay. 

"Yeah, I might," Conner said, probably putting a hand to his forehead as if to check. 

“Do you want me to get Will for you? If you’re that sick--”

“No, no, I just need sleep,” Conner swore. “Goodnight Cecil.”

Cecil sounded a little dubious as he said “Night, Conner. Feel better.”

Jason waited until his footsteps retreated and the door closed to burst out in laughter, climbing up the bed and letting the blanket fall around his waist. “Oh, you poor baby,” he mocked. “You know, I wouldn’t have fucked you if I knew you were _sick_.”

“Shut up,” Conner said, dropping the fake-hoarseness. 

“I don’t know, it sounded like Cecil had something really important to say. Maybe we should call him back--”

Before Jason could react, Conner flipped them over, pressing Jason against the mattress as he kissed him, and Jason decided _yeah, okay, maybe I should just shut up._

***

**Frank**

Hazel ended up going back to her cabin early, so Frank rejoined the Ares cabin and hung out with them for a while. He knew that when he went to bed that night, he'd have a lot to think about, but while he was still around other people he was able to push those thoughts aside. 

So he talked to his siblings, finding out what they'd done during the game. Sherman filled him in on their wins and losses, describing everything with the excitement of a conspiracy theorist. Frank found himself completely enraptured in the stories. 

They were stopped when sing-along started, and the entire Ares cabin stood, making a big show out of trying to sing louder than the Apollo cabin who was leading it. Frank wasn't a very good singer himself, but there was no way he was worse than Clarisse, so he joined in the fun, trying to be as obnoxious to the other cabins as possible. 

_It’s community,_ he thought, the words appearing in his mind almost at random. It was the answer to the question he'd been asking himself for days: what's different about Camp Half-Blood than Camp Jupiter? _It's community._

Camp Jupiter was too big and structured to have a tightly knit community. Sure, they all knew their roles, and there was definitely a specific culture at camp, but that was different than the sense of intense, meaningful community that Camp Half-Blood had.

At Camp Jupiter, they had their friend groups and their gossip and their shared experiences. Here, they had _families._ They had people they'd grown up with since they were pre-teens. They had jokes that went back years, they had the same painful history they shared, they had people that they lost and people that they loved. The Ares cabin tried to sing so loudly they drowned everyone else out, just to be annoying, and then went and helped younger Aphrodite campers with makeup or canoes or _whatever,_ in honor of a dead councilor who'd meant a lot to all of them. 

The two camps were just very, very different, and while Frank missed his home and wanted to go back to it, he could acknowledge how much this place meant. It wasn't the perfect camp for him, but he could see how it might be more meaningful to someone else-- someone who needed different things than Camp Jupiter was able to give them. 

Sing-along ended, and they all sat down. Frank looked around the camp, observing it in its natural state. 

A couple Athena kids huddled around the campfire, using the light to look over papers. Annabeth was right in the middle of it, a pencil behind her ear and another in her hand as she helped her younger siblings with their work. 

In one section of the amphitheater, all of the Hephaestus kids were gathered around, talking and gesturing with excitement. There were a couple little campers who seemed to be using Beckendorf as a playground, chasing each other around him and ducking under his arm. An older camper who Frank hadn't seen before sat on the ground, his head against Beckendorf's knee, drooling as he slept. A strand of his hair caught fire-- maybe from a traveling ember?-- and Beckendorf quickly patted it out, looking like this wasn't an unusual occurrence. 

Two girls were walking his way, and Frank squinted, trying to make them out in the low-light. The first one was Piper, but he couldn't place the second. She had curly red hair half pushed back by one of those hippie bandanas, and was wearing a weird mix of loose, flowy clothes, like she'd just left some sort of commune, and hip, paint-splattered clothes, like she'd just gotten back from an art festival. She and Piper were walking hand in hand. 

"Hey," Piper greeted. "Mind if we sit?"

The Ares cabin made room for them, and Frank tried to bring himself back to the forefront of his mind, trying to remember how to talk. 

“A shame about Capture the Flag,” Piper said easily, “But it’s alright, we’ll get them next week.”

“It’ll probably be easier, without Hazel on their team,” Frank agreed. 

Piper grinned. “I heard about that. Wish I’d been able to see it in person.”

Frank nodded blandly, his attention turning to the girl beside Piper. 

“This is my girlfriend, Rachel Elizabeth Dare,” Piper introduced, and they shook hands. “She’s mortal, and acts as our camp Oracle.”

“Sup,” Rachel greeted, flashing a peace sign.

“You should meet our Augur, Octavian,” Frank suggested. “I bet you’d have a lot to talk about.”

Rachel looked intrigued. “What’s an Augur?”

“He’s like an Oracle, but instead of receiving prophecies from Delphi he gets them from books of prophecy. He’s also in charge of interpreting the gods’ will, using sacrifices, stuff like that.”

“Sacrifices are cool,” Rachel said, and Frank bit his tongue to keep from telling her they were _teddy bear_ sacrifices. 

“Wait, didn’t you say Octavian was your praetor?” Piper asked. 

“Our newest praetor, yes. He was promoted recently, though it’s only supposed to be temporary.”

“And how’s that going?”

Frank couldn’t tell if Piper was asking to be polite, or because she was trying to pry for information about camp. If he was honest, he still didn’t trust her much, which probably wasn’t fair. She’d been the one advocating the strongest that the ambassadors were friend, not foe, and she’d gone through personal hardship to prove it. Frank really should give her a break. 

“It’s going well,” he answered, trying to sound genuine. “I Iris Messaged Percy earlier, he said Octavian’s adapting well to the new role.”

Piper and Rachel exchanged a look at the name ‘Percy’. Frank knew already that Piper hadn’t been around to meet him, but maybe Rachel had? “Did you ever meet--”

“Once or twice,” Rachel said playfully, suggesting that might _not_ be completely accurate. “No, he was actually the one that introduced me to camp. We were friends for a while before he asked me to go on a quest with him and Annabeth.”

Suddenly, Frank realized where he knew her from: she was the girl in his dreams about the arena, standing behind an armed guard with Annabeth while Percy fought to the death. Frank felt sick. “Oh, so you were there when…”

“When he supposedly died? Yeah,” Rachel said, pursing her lips. “It wasn’t a fun day, but I guess things worked out in the end. Annabeth introduced me to camp, and by the end of the Titan War they had a job for me. Then I met Piper, and, well,” she smiled at her girlfriend, squeezing her hand. “Obviously, that went pretty well. And it sounds like Percy survived too, which was honestly such a relief to hear. He deserved better than the end we all thought he’d gotten.”

Frank noticed that she had coped much better with the whole Percy situation than the _other_ person who’d been in that arena, but he didn’t mention it. “Yeah. He really did.”

“Well, I probably won’t get the chance to meet Octavian anytime soon, but Piper will,” Rachel segued, smiling at her girlfriend. “She’s going on the quest back to your camp with you.”

“Oh yeah?” Frank said. “Who else is going?”

“Will’s planning to,” Piper said, “Though I still need to double check with them. They can get along with anyone, though, so we thought they’d be a good choice. As for the third person… well, Annabeth wants to go, but you can see why that might not be a good idea. I'll let you know what's decided as soon as the council gets a chance to vote."

That worried Frank, though he didn't say anything. He knew the reunion between Percy and Annabeth was necessary at some point, if only for the sake of the peace treaty, but at the same time, he doubted Percy was ready. It'd be hard enough on him just seeing her again, but if she came to camp with the same level of denial she'd had the entire time they'd been here, he could imagine what sort of disaster it would be. Percy didn't need that. 

Eventually, Campfire wrapped up and people started heading back to their cabins. It was only then that Frank realized Jason had never come back, and he _still_ needed to tell him about Thalia. 

He told Clarisse he would be back at their cabin soon, right after he stopped by the Zeus cabin, and Travis overheard. "Jason said he was going to go talk to Conner about something. He might still be there." 

"Oh," Frank said. That made sense-- Jason seriously loved his breastplate, it shouldn't have been a surprise that he'd get it back as soon as possible. And Jason and Conner had been hanging out a lot, maybe they ended up playing cards or something, and that's why Jason never came back. "Mind if I tag along then?" 

"Go for it," Travis said easily. "Hermes cabin, let's go! Sorry, they'll all probably go to the bathroom first, but I'll go back to the cabin with you."

"Thanks," Frank said, and they started walking.

***

**Jason**

Confession time: Jason was a cuddler. 

After Cecil left, he and Conner "finished things up" with as much, ah-hem, _passion_ and _vigor_ as before. They both pulled on their boxers, and Jason was about to pull on the rest of his clothes when Conner said "No, no, come here." 

"Won't we get caught?" Jason asked, even as he climbed back onto the bunk.

Conner shook his head, putting a hand over his eyes like the lights were too bright. "Campfires after Capture The Flag always last extra long. We're fine to cuddle for a little while." 

Jason wasn't going to object to that, so he wiggled back under the blankets and plopped on top of Conner, making him let out an _oomf_ noise.

"You're too big," Conner complained. 

"I didn't see you complaining a minute ago." 

"Literally shut the fuck up," Conner said, scowling. "And besides, I couldn't complain, my mouth was--" 

Jason kissed him again, shutting him up. It was a move he had to pull a lot; one of the side effects of being attracted to almost exclusively bitchy guys. The girls he got with tended to be more "assertive" and "standoff-ish", but the guys he got with were all just bitchy, and he was okay with that. 

Jason tucked his face into the crook of Conner's neck, relaxing into his body heat. Under the blanket, Conner rubbed Jason's back up and down in a soothing manner, making him want to close his eyes and purr. 

A little time passed like that. It couldn't have been _that_ long, but honestly Jason didn't really know. He was just completely relaxed, enjoying the touch. 

Then the door to the cabin opened and he nearly pissed himself. 

Jason jerked upward, already knowing he was doomed as Travis's voice filtered into the cabin, saying "--magical rope was our idea, but Nico helped us figure out new places to hide it. He's really good with plants and stuff." 

Travis was turned around, looking at someone else, but any second he would turn and--

"Yeah, he told me about that," Frank responded, just barely entering the doorway. Unlike Travis, he was facing Jason, and so they immediately made eye contact. 

_Help me,_ Jason mouthed, pleading with his eyes. Frank gave him a look like _I swear to all the gods,_ and then started screaming. 

_Obviously,_ Travis was pretty concerned by this and immediately tried to help, asking what was wrong as Frank fell to the floor dramatically. Jason didn't look a gift horse in the mouth and as silently as he could, jumped down from the top bunk and started pulling his clothes on. He didn't bother buttoning his jeans, didn't bother putting on his socks, just jammed his feet into shoes and threw on his hoodie so it'd cover his undone belt. He grabbed his breastplate and ran over to help. 

On the ground lay Frank-- or at least, Jason assumed it was Frank. Where he'd been standing a moment ago was an iguana, laying upside down and wiggling wildly. "What the fuck?!" Travis was yelling, and Jason crossed his arms. 

"Frank, is that you?"

Travis turned to look at him like he was crazy. "What do you--" 

Just then, Frank turned back into human form, jumping and saying "Boo!" Travis shrieked, stumbling backward, and Jason forced himself to laugh along with Frank. 

"Dude, I got you _good!"_ Frank said, his laugh not quite genuine, but realistic enough to pass. "You should've seen your face!" 

Travis's face was currently one of confused horror, like he wasn't sure whether to be terrified or offended. "Was that a-- was that a _prank?"_

"It's good, right?" Jason said, trying to play along. "Frank was thinking of pulling it on the Ares campers later, but he wanted to try it on you first. Since you know, your dad. If a Hermes kid can be scared by a prank, you _know_ all of the Ares kids will be scared by it." 

"Yeah, totally," Travis said, voice still shaken. "Frank-- how the fuck did you do that?"

"I have shape-shifting powers," Frank admitted. "I had some demigod ancestors that had it, and I inherited it."

"That's crazy," Travis said, starting to recover from his spook now. "Make sure you warn me before you do it to the Ares kids, I want to see them freak out." 

"Maybe," Frank said, turning to Jason with a dangerous look on his face. "But I don't know if I will. After I, I do want to _leave_ on _good terms."_

Jason winced. He already knew he’d be getting lectured later about causing drama at camp, though for the record he thought that was totally unfair. He didn’t actually cause any drama; if anything, he’d just made a friend, and wasn’t that what they were here for?

"You should totally prank them," a new voice said, and they all turned to look at Conner, who was sniffling as if he had a cold. 

That adequately distracted Travis, who went over to check up on him, and Jason and Frank gracefully made their leave. As soon as the door was shut behind them, Jason hastened to fasten his pants and do up his belt. 

Frank punched him in the arm, and he yelped. "Come on dude! What was that for?"

"You owe me one," Frank grumbled, though he didn't seem that mad. Jason grinned. 

"I do. And _thank you,_ you totally saved me back there. I meant to leave earlier, but we got distracted cuddling. Conner isn't out to his siblings though, so it's really great you helped us out." 

"Well, I wanted to tell people at camp about my powers," Frank said, looking like he was trying to hide a smile. "I guess that was as good an opportunity as any. But seriously, you and Conner?"

"He's my type!" Jason defended, and Frank shook his head. 

"You're crazy. I hope you used protection." 

"Yes _mom,_ I promise. We both used condoms. _"_

"Oh, speaking of moms--"

Jason rolled his eyes. "That's a terrifying segue." 

"Literally shut up and listen, I've been trying to tell you this all day. I talked to Percy earlier, he said that there was another child of Zeus--" 

Just then, thunder shook the entire camp. It wasn't even _raining,_ but when Jason looked up he saw dark storm clouds circling-- right above them. 

"Oh shi--" he started saying, and then a flash of light touched down not 50 feet away, sending them stumbling back on their asses as the _BOOM!_ resonated throughout the entire camp. Jason sent his senses out, trying to figure out what the deal was with this weird-ass storm, when he sat up and saw something unexpected. Right where the lightning had struck, a girl was kneeling. She had short, black hair with some sort of silver circlet in it, and had a bow over his back. She stood, looking at them instantly. 

"You were saying?" She said, giving Frank a lopsided grin that didn't quite meet her eyes. She marched over, first helping Frank up, and then Jason. When she touched his hand, a bolt of energy passed between them, stronger than a static shock. 

Jason didn’t know what to do. There was something incredibly familiar about the girl, but something in his mind whispered _no. Don’t pull on this thread._

But apparently, the girl didn’t get the message. “And you must be Jason,” she said, looking him up and down, drinking him in. “Annabeth called me. My name is Thalia, daughter of Zeus. I’m your sister.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I keep writing these 8k word chapters and then going back and forth between whether to post them as one chapter, or break them up. In this case, I decided to post them as one, despite tonal differences. I hope that was the right move!
> 
> In this chapter:  
> \- Jason Iris Messaged Reyna and talked about lots of good stuff, including Hazel's powers (which he was very excited about), Octavian's transition of power (re: "he's no fun because we're problematic in the exact same way"), Percy (and how Reyna is forcing him to have meals with them), the new powers training area (because Hazel would totally trash the other arena), missing each other (look Jason, Reyna is just too cool to simp over you like you want her to, I'm _sorry_ , this is literally why Percy exists), and Reyna's "special interest" in Big Three kids (casual reminder that Reyna is ADHD and so by 'special interest' she means 'obsession', oops).
> 
> \- Frank and Hazel sat at the campfire and Frank had to Deal With His Emotions. Fun fact this part makes me fucking cry. (And you guys thought Jason was the one getting vibe checked...)
> 
> \- Jason going slurp slurp on that son of Hermes badonkadick
> 
> \- Cecil walking in on them (fun fact, it's not at all relevant to this story so I didn't mention it, but I 100% headcanon Cecil as trans ftm. Why? No mother names their kid Cecil. That's a name you chose for yourself when your 13 and about to start T, and you need a new name and this is what came up on the page of the baby book you flipped to, and now you're stuck with it. Fight me.)
> 
> \- Frank having intense thoughts about Community (and the Ares cabin scream-singing)
> 
> \- Piper and Rachel conversation (lesbians!!!!! Also Rachel is way less traumatized than Annabeth rip)
> 
> \- Jason's pov revealing that he is still, in fact, a simp (and he really wants cuddles)
> 
> \- Frank saving his ass by the power of turning into an Iguana 
> 
> \- Thalia, fuck. 
> 
> Please comment and let me know what you thought of this mega-chapter, and have a great day!! :D
> 
> **Also, follow my tumblr?? I made it just for this fic, and it's where I most memes I make about this story. You can find it here: https://dehydratedpercy.tumblr.com/post/641256948835221504/re-the-preserve-or-raze-verse or by searching up @DehydratedPercy :)**


	27. Chapter 27

**Jason**

The next morning, Jason woke up early and couldn’t get back to sleep. He felt restless in the same way he often felt at Camp Jupiter, but when he laid still and listened for the sound of other people moving about, he heard nothing. 

Back at his camp, he would usually get up about now and get some water from the kitchen, hoping someone else would come out. Sometimes, he’d get lucky enough for Percy and Frank to be equally restless, and they could all fall on top of each other on the couch. _Then_ he’d be able to get some sleep. Unfortunately, Frank was in the Ares cabin, and Percy was across the country, and Jason… well, Jason was alone. 

He and Thalia had stayed up late into the night talking. Frank had stayed with them for a while, but after a few hours he had to call it and go to bed. Even then, they talked, filling each other in on their lives. There was so much to say and so little time, and eventually Thalia had to call it as well, saying they could talk more in the morning. She hadn’t returned to the Zeus cabin with Jason, but had gone to the Artemis cabin instead, saying that’s where she kept all her things. 

Jason had eventually been able to find sleep, but it was uneasy, and when he woke it felt like only minutes had passed. He laid in his bed in the silence for as long as he could bear before finally getting up and getting dressed. It was still early, but the sun would rise soon, so he could get away with a morning run. 

He made his way to the beach, jogging by the treeline to the forest, which was still dark. He felt watched, and wondered if there was a monster nearby to challenge him. If so, he hoped it took its best shot; he had his coin in his pocket, and at least fighting a monster would make sense. 

The problem was, Jason didn’t even _remember_ having a sister. He didn’t remember anything, just social workers and foster homes, foster homes and social workers, over and over in an endless cycle. Every few months, maybe a year if he was lucky, he was transferred to a new home. Sometimes there’d be foster siblings, sometimes not. Sometimes the family was religious, sometimes not. Sometimes he got along with the parents, sometimes…

The problem was, there was no _room_ for a sister within Jason’s worldview. Thalia said that the two of them were the children of Beryl Grace, a former movie star who’d overdosed and driven her car off the road with the two of them in the backseat. She and Jason had gotten away relatively unscathed, and been given a lawyer who’d put them in the foster program, insisting they be separated. 

“I think she was sent by Zeus,” Thalia’d said the night before. “We were young, but even then, the scent of two big three kids would be too dangerous. He had no choice but to split us up for our own safety.”

Thalia didn’t seem too pleased by this answer, as if it was something she’d grappled with for years. Jason didn’t know how to form an opinion on it. Here she was, telling Jason he had a _sister,_ and at one point he’d had a _family,_ and Jason just… didn’t understand. He’d been alone his entire life, and now Thalia was here telling him there was something more?

Thalia had made it only a few years in the system before running away and never going back. She’d been a problem child, switching from house to house faster than they could place her, until eventually she was put into a special home for delinquents, one step down from Juvie. She left and never came back.

Jason could see bits of himself within her, but at the same time… he just wasn’t sure. She had been angry, rebellious, rude. She’d _fought_ their reality. And he’d just… he’d…

 _Learned how to be good,_ Jason thought ruefully. _Cared about my grades. Played nice._

There was something about the whole situation that hurt more than words could describe. 

Jason ran for as long as he could, but eventually he thought toolongtoohard and his knees started wobbling, so he collapsed on the beach, only a few feet from the surf. He stared at the water, feeling too much and nothing at all. He wished Reyna was here. He wished _Percy_ was here. But they weren’t, it was just him in this foreign camp with his foreign family. 

He sat and wallowed long enough for the sun to start coming up before he heard footsteps nearby. They were fast-paced, like someone was jogging, and he glanced over and immediately was put in a worse mood than before. It was _Annabeth_ of all people. He caught her eyes, and she immediately scowled, slowing as she got closer. “You’re in my path. This is where I always jog.”

“Oh, boo-hoo,” Jason mocked. “Just go around me.”

“It’s more fun to complain,” she said, giving him an unreadable expression. “Are you okay?”  
He waved away her concern. “Yeah, yeah, great. Thanks for inviting my long lost sister here without telling me, by the way. I really appreciate it.”

Yesterday, after initial introductions, Annabeth had shown up, hugging Thalia tightly. She’d _known,_ and she hadn’t thought to give Jason a word of warning. Frank had known too, and had at least tried to tell him, but he hadn’t gotten a chance. 

Annabeth cringed. “Yeah, sorry about that. In my defense, I didn’t mean to spring it on you. I can’t Iris Message the Hunter’s without knowing their location, so I’d had some nature spirit friends deliver it. I didn’t want to tell you about her until I’d gotten her approval-- I figured she’d write me back. I never thought she’d show up in person.”

Jason didn’t care. Whether she’d meant it or not, Annabeth had still allowed it to happen. He went back to imagining Reyna and Percy sitting in the sand on either side of him, Percy with his hand on Jason’s knee, Reyna with her hand on his back. Instead of comforting him, it just made his loneliness feel more acute. _Why am I here, when they’re there?_

“Once you get over the initial shock, you’ll be grateful,” Annabeth said boldly, still standing a few feet away. “There’s nothing like having a sibling.”

“Oh, like Malcolm?” Jason said. “Yeah, that worked out real well for you.”

He didn’t know _why_ he said it, it was just the first thing that came to mind. He wanted her to hurt, and he knew the words to make it happen. 

She didn’t respond for a few long moments, and finally Jason looked over, wondering what the hold up was. She was staring out at the ocean, jaw clenched, but overall she didn’t seem that mad. “Like I was saying… there’s nothing like a sibling. And Thalia’s good people. You’ll learn to love her, if you have even half a brain cell in that big head of yours.”

Jason cupped some sand in his palm, squeezing it together tightly. It was barely damp enough to hold it’s form, and Jason opened his palm to watch it fall apart. “We were separated when I was three, did she tell you that? I was too young to form long term memories. I don't remember any of it.”

“She didn’t,” Annabeth said, managing to be somewhat civil about it. “I’m sorry. This must be really hard on you.”

Jason shrugged, trying not to dwell on her words too long. It was hard, sure, but mostly it was just uncomfortable. He didn’t know where there was room for a sister in the world he’d created for himself. “I’m sure I’ll get used to it,” he said, not believing it for a second. “How do you think she is as a sister? You’d know, of course-- she was more of a sister to you than she ever was to me.”

Annabeth sighed, and finally came over, plopping down in the sand next to him. Jason half expected her to try to stab him, or shove sand down his shirt or something, but she did none of that. Instead, she spoke, sounding like she was about to share something significant. “In the past, Chiron had me help new campers get settled at camp.”

“In the past?” Jason questioned, and Annabeth sighed, looking out over the water. 

“He doesn’t let me do it now. He didn’t tell me why, but I know it’s because I’m too mean now. He doesn’t want me to scare them away.”

“Smart.”

“Maybe.” Annabeth didn’t seem very bothered by this. “But back when I _was_ allowed to help new campers get settled, I was good at it. I’d ask them what they were scared, or worried, or confused about, and let them pour out all their anxieties. Sometimes, all you need to feel better is a chance to talk.”

Jason gave her a dubious look. “Are you asking me to tell you all of my anxieties?”

Annabeth looked at him boredly. “Do I look like I have the patience for that anymore?”

Jason snorted, immediately ducking his head. He knew it was too late, though: she’d already seen his smile, and was probably already gloating over it. Jason tried not to use this word when describing girls, but he decided to make an exception for Annabeth: _Bitch._

“You _should_ talk to your friends about it, though,” Annabeth continued, unfazed. “Ask Frank, he seems like he'd be good at comforting.”

Jason scoffed. “Thanks, but he’s already Percy’s therapist. He doesn’t need two Big Three kids coming to him.”

Annabeth went quiet again, and Jason reviewed what he'd said, realizing his error too late. He'd mentioned Percy again-- he wasn’t supposed to do that, not in front of her.

Annabeth muttered something, but Jason was too distracted to pick it up. “Sorry, what?”

“You should tell me about him,” Annabeth repeated, eyes grey like clouds settling in for a long afternoon rain. “About your Percy, I mean. What you think he’s like, how he interacts with your camp, stuff like that. And don’t bother lying for my benefit, I know it’s not really him.”

“You really are good at denial,” Jason noted, but Annabeth didn’t react, so he shrugged. “Sure. I can tell you about him.”

The stories seemed to flow out of him, as if they’d been dammed up for weeks, just waiting to be shared. He talked about Percy’s attitude, his restlessness, his sarcasm. He talked about how Percy got in fights with anyone he could find, arguing with Reyna earlier on, and then eventually moving on to be mortal enemies with Octavian. He talked about the softer sides of Percy too: the way he gravitated to Frank, the way he talked as they trained, the fluidity of his emotions. He never tried to hide what he was feeling-- or maybe he did, and was just really bad at it. Jason told her about his new lifeguarding job, his prank with the water sprinklers, the way he went to the Unicorn stables when he needed a good gossip.

Jason got so invested in his storytelling that he failed to keep an eye on his audience. When he looked back over, checking that she was listening, he found her slumped in on herself, her eyes unfocused and glossy.

He stopped talking, and for a few minutes, they were both completely silent, not talking but vividly aware of the other’s presence. The lake water lapped against the shore, and they sat, something fragile between them that neither dared break. 

Finally, Annabeth sucked in a breath, leaning back on the sand. “That doesn’t sound like my Percy at all.”

 _She’s lying,_ Jason thought. _She’s lying right through her teeth._

He didn’t get a chance to call her on it, though, because then she was standing. “I didn’t factor your emotions into my workout, I need to keep moving. You want a hand up?”

“I’m fine,” Jason said, wanting to sit for a little longer. 

Annabeth looked a little dubious, but nodded. “Cool. Don’t drown yourself or anything, people would probably think I killed you, and I refuse to take the blame without getting any of the satisfaction.”

“Such a nice girl,” Jason muttered, and Annabeth kicked sand at him as she jogged off. 

***

Jason tried to get over himself. Annabeth was right: he had a sister, it wasn’t the worst thing in the world. He should be happy. 

When Jason got to the dining hall for breakfast, Thalia was already there, sitting at the Zeus table. She was sitting in the spot Jason normally claimed, displacing him to the opposite side of the table. 

“We never got a chance to talk about your powers,” Thalia said, starting the conversation out strong with Jason’s least favorite topic. However, he _had_ planned to start working on his powers, and he’d already told Reyna he would, so he nodded, taking a deep breath. 

“I can fly,” he started, “Though I’ve never tried doing it for very long. I can control winds, use them to push people and things around. I can create lightning storms, though I’ve never done it on purpose.”

“So you’ve done it by accident, maybe in a fight?” Thalia prompted. 

Jason shook his head. “Only when I was little, in my first foster home. I had a nightmare and woke up when a bolt of lightning struck the house.” The electricity in the entire house had gone out, frying all of the wiring and shattering the downstairs mirror. Jason had been tiny, barely sleeping in a big kid bed, and had climbed out to see what was going on, dragging his blanket behind him. He remembered peering down over the balcony and seeing people running around in a panic, hearing the dad yelling, smelling the burnt fuse box, and just _knowing_ that somehow, some way, it was his fault. He hadn’t known he was a child of Jupiter, but he knew he’d brought down the lightning on his house, and it terrified him.

“Okay,” Thalia said, not prying for details. “Any other powers?”

Jason moved on from that memory. It had been his first encounter with his powers, and after that he hadn’t been anxious for any repeats. “Nothing else comes to mind. Why, what can you do?”  
Thalia gave him a crooked smile, and he immediately grew concerned for the safety of everyone at camp. “Well, I can do everything that you just listed, but at a higher intensity. I can create lightning storms on command, can send out electric shocks to my enemies-- or friends, whatever. I’m immune to high altitudes. And in the past year, I’ve gotten good at flying, including traveling long distances by flight.”

“The last year?” Jason questioned. 

“I used to be scared of heights,” she admitted. “I got over it.”

“I’m always worried I’m going to break my legs upon landing,” Jason admitted. “It feels like I have no control when I’m up in the air.”

“Control comes with practice. And if you’re scared of breaking your legs, don’t land on them-- do a superhero landing, like I did last night, or roll to your feet.”

“I guess so.” As little as Jason wanted to admit it, Thalia’s recommendations did genuinely seem to be helpful. He appreciated that she didn’t wave away his worries like they were nothing, but instead gave actual advice. He supposed that was one of the benefits to talking to someone with the same set of powers as you: unlike the other campers, who would just say “you’re a child of Jupiter, get over it”, Thalia knew it was more complicated than that. She understood him-- at least in this little way. 

“How would you feel about doing some power training today?” Thalia asked. Her black lipstick was done in a way that her lips ended in pointed corners, meaning every time she smiled it looked sly.

 _It has to happen sometime,_ Jason thought, and agreed. 

***

**Frank**

Frank’s first impression of Thalia was that she was absolutely _terrifying._ It was bad enough she entered camp Thor Ragnarok style, the earth shaking with thunder as she landed on the ground in a blast of lightning, but everything else on top of that was just overkill. She wore platform combat boots and a black biker jacket with studs all down the front. Her hair was short, also black, and she wore thick eyeliner and dark lipstick. When she smiled, it looked like she was considering ripping your throat out. Frank was surprised when she didn’t have claws. 

Of course, Jason didn’t notice any of this, just staring at her like she was an angel-- not like a normal angel, but a _Bible angel_ , with a flaming sword and life-ending news. 

Frank felt pretty bad for him. He hadn’t honestly thought the news would be that big deal, but it seemed like Jason didn’t even remember _having_ a sister, so the realization was a bit more traumatic than it would’ve been otherwise. 

Frank wished he’d been able to warn him, but he didn’t hold it against himself. He’d tried _so goddamn hard,_ the fact that it never worked was due to the fates and nothing else. 

Frank stayed up as long as he could, listening in on the drama, but eventually he was barely able to keep his eyes open and he had to excuse himself. 

He got to his cabin, collapsed in his bed, and turned into a pug. If anyone saw, he really didn’t care; he refused to have nightmares after the evening he’d had. With his luck, he’d dream of Hazel drowning him in the earth while Thalia blasted him with lightning and cackled. 

_I really need to stop hanging around so many Big Three kids,_ he thought as he fell asleep. 

In the morning, he was woken up for early morning conditioning by Sherman, who was pretty surprised to see a dog where Frank was supposed to be. Frank turned back into human, prompting a half hour long discussion with the entire Ares cabin about his powers, which basically boiled down to them getting angry that _they_ couldn’t shapeshift, and Frank having to explain that it wasn’t a gift he got from being a child of Mars, but from his other ancestors. 

Clarisse sniffed. “Still, it feels like he’s playing favorites.”

 _Oh, he definitely is,_ Frank thought. _Do you want me to call him and ask? I have his personal cell number._

Eventually they were able to get outside and do conditioning. They weren’t going until someone puked, but Frank threw up anyways. He was just an overachiever like that. 

(It didn’t help that he’d gotten like, three hours of sleep). 

He felt a little better after breakfast, where he sacrificed half his plate of food to Mars (the real reason he was the favorite child). He had some free time after that while his siblings did chores, and went looking for Hazel, who hadn’t showed up to breakfast. He ended up finding her in the Hades cabin, dead asleep. 

“I’d ask you to be quiet,” Will said, leaning against one of the other beds. “But, well. I don’t think we could wake her up if we tried. Magical exhaustion plus narcolepsy are an awful combination.”

“Noted,” Frank said. He tried to pull Hazel's comforter up over her shoulder, and felt his heart drop when his hand went right through her skin. “Why--”

"Nico thinks it's the shadow traveling," Will said gravely. "He's worried he taught it to her too soon, that he should've waited until she was in the mortal world longer. I think that's bullshit, but then again, he's the expert." 

"He may be the expert on Underworld magic, but you're the doctor here," Frank pointed out. "Anything I can do to help her, when she does wake up?"

Will shrugged. "Support her. Ask her what she needs. Don’t treat her like she’s weird, or not fully alive. That's what works on Nico, at least." 

"Yeah? Does stuff like this happen with Nico a lot?" 

Will shrugged again. "I mean, this sort of magic is tricky. But yeah, he's pushed further than he needed to at times, especially during the Battle of Manhattan. I was really worried about him near the end, but everything turned out alright." Will looked up and gave Frank an assessing look, like they were reading the thoughts straight from Frank's mind. "Do you spend a lot of time being worried for Hazel?"

Frank grimaced, looking down at his feet. "Less being worried _for_ her and more being worried _about_ her. She surprised me yesterday; I don't think I reacted very well." That was an under exaggeration. He should have praised her for her abilities, not made her feel self-conscious of them. 

"It's a hard thing getting used to," Will said sympathetically. "When I started dating Nico… well, everyone was scared of him at first, which didn't help. Over time they learned to trust him, but I think that fear remained for a long time. Which like, it makes sense. He can be terrifying when he tries."

Frank frowned. "How so?" He got that people tended to be scared of Pluto kids, but the longer Frank had been around him the less he found that to be true. Nico was, for the most part, a completely normal demigod.

Will furrowed their brow. "Well. He fought like a madman. His powers are a lot-- resurrecting zombies, sure, but also the shadow travel, the death magic. And he's one of the only ones at camp who was willing to kill other demigods in combat."

"Really?"

Will nodded slowly. "He wasn't ruthless about it, but he didn't really hesitate. Anyways, that's not the point. The point is, Nico had crazy powers, and I didn't always know how to deal with it either. But you get used to it. Big three kids… they're just on another level. It's a lot for anyone to take in." 

"Are you talking about me again?"

Frank flinched as Nico melted out of the shadows, wrapping his arms around Will's waist. Will didn't respond except to smile, slightly exasperatedly, at their boyfriend. " _Yes._ Were you eavesdropping?"

"Just at the end," Nico promised. "For the record, it can be scary for Big Three kids too. When I saw Percy's powers for the first time I was mesmerized. Thalia's too-- though I didn't care quite as much about her, for obvious reasons."

"Gay," Will deadpanned. 

"So I just try to get over it?” Frank clarified, ignoring Will’s comment. “I don’t want her to worry about me.”

“It’ll get easier with time,” Will said cooly. “And trust.”

Frank frowned. “I trust Hazel.” 

“It’s okay if trust takes time to build,” Nico said. “You’re both still learning a lot about each other. A week ago, you thought she’d lived her entire life in the 21st century. Give it time.”

Frank sighed. He didn’t want to give it time, he wanted to be a better friend for her _now,_ but he understood that wasn’t how it worked. He was an archer: patience was supposed to be one of the things he excelled at. “Alright. Thanks for the advice. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help while Hazel’s recovering.”

“Sounds good,” Nico said, and they chorused their goodbyes. Frank left the Hades cabin feeling both lighter and heavier, but either way, he knew their talk had been good. 

Some things just took time. It was okay to give himself time. 

***

Frank ended up reconnecting with Jason around lunchtime. For whatever reason, the entire camp was eating lunch outside on blankets, like a picnic. When Frank asked Sherman about it, he just shrugged. 

"Whenever the Hunter's come to visit we eat outside. The dining hall just gets too crowded. This doesn't really count, since it's just Thalia, but I think people wanted a picnic anyway." 

"I guess that makes sense." 

Since they were outside, everyone was taking the opportunity to sit with friends instead of siblings, so Frank decided to do the same. He ended up at a blanket with Jason, Thalia, Annabeth, Piper, and Leo. He hadn't met Leo before, but he was the guy from the Hephestus cabin he'd seen dozing the night before. 

Piper and Leo bickered like siblings. "So nice of you to join us," Piper teased. "Is this the first time you've seen the sun this month?"

"Hey, I'm in the forge so much because I'm working on the project _you_ assigned me. Things like this take time,” Leo insisted brattily.

"What project?" Frank asked, and the two demigods exchanged a look. 

"Her magic fairy girlfriend gave us a prophecy a while back," Leo said, and Piper punched him in the arm for the comment about Rachel. "Something about oaths, storms and fire, the world falling. The usual stuff. I'm working on some stuff to prepare for the quest." 

"Stuff?" Frank asked. "Like what?"

"Oh, you know. Just completely basic, normal stuff. Nothing special." 

He definitely _seemed_ to be lying, but Frank didn't care enough to press. "Cool." 

"Speaking of quests," Annabeth interjected. "Our quest leaves tomorrow to go to New Rome."

"Oh, shit," Jason said. His clothes were pockmarked with holes and scorch marks. Frank hoped that was because he and Thalia had been doing powers training, and not because she'd gotten annoyed and tried to electrocute him. “That’s so soon. I forgot it was coming up already.”

"Anything we should know before going to your camp?" Piper asked. "Any sort of etiquette we'll be expected to follow?"

Jason and Frank exchanged a look, and Frank remembered all the hours they put into learning the proper etiquette of greeting foreign dignitaries before they’d left Camp Jupiter. The bar would be set _high_ for the Greek demigods, and any misstep could end in disaster. 

"Uh, yeah, definitely. Let's talk about it later when Will's around too, and I'll explain it to you all at once," Jason said. "It's pretty… comprehensive." 

"Yeah, talk about it later," Thalia agreed. "I'm leaving after lunch, you should be paying attention to me instead." 

Frank chuckled. "You know, at first I didn't see the family resemblance, but I get it now." 

The others laughed, and Jason scoffed, shoving him. "Oh, shut up."

Thalia didn't seem to mind the comparison. When Frank looked at the two siblings next to each other, at first they couldn't seem more different, what with Thalia's dark hair and goth exterior, and Jason's blond hair and general golden retriever energy. But if you looked past that, they held themselves in a similar way, almost _too_ casual. They had the same smiles, the same intelligence behind their eyes, and sure, yeah, apparently they had the same ego. 

"It turns out we actually have a surprising amount in common," Thalia said, agreeing with Frank's earlier statement. "For example, it sounds like Jason's a bit of a player." 

"Am not!" 

"You told me your body count earlier," Thalia reminded him. "You can't tell me now that you're _not_ a fuckboy. I know the truth." 

Frank perked up. "What's your body count?"

"You mean the people I've killed?" Jason asked. "Only one. Well, about to be one." He glared at Thalia. 

"He said, and I quote, 'there are too many to remember'," Thalia reminisced. "That's fuckboy activity." 

"Jason!" Frank admonished.

Jason threw up his hands, like _it's not my fault!_

"What I think you're all forgetting," Annabeth cut in, "Is that this conversation started with Thalia talking about what they have in _common._ Ergo, Thalia is also a fuckboy." 

"Well, if the shoe fits," Thalia said easily. 

Leo narrowed his eyes at her. "Aren't all hunters supposed to be virgins or something?"

"Born again virgins," Thalia joked, making the sign of the cross like she was Catholic. "I was alive for a while before I joined the Hunters. Lots of opportunities." 

Piper nodded seriously. "Right, because you haven't had sex since you joined the hunters. You just frolic around taking group baths with your sisters in combat. No, really, I believe you." 

Thalia winked. "Now Piper, don't go sharing all of our secrets. As lieutenant, it's my job to crush any rumors of group sex and/or lesbian activity before they can spread. We wouldn't want people thinking that we're all _lesbians_ or anything crazy like that." She lowered her voice, like she was telling a secret. "Some of us are bi." 

Jason threw his hands in the air. "Great! So you're saying not only are we both sluts, we're both bi. Are all Zeus kids like this?" 

"Probably," Thalia admitted. "I mean, think about who our father is. We're genetically predisposed to get it on with as many people as possible. It's practically an ancient tradition." 

Piper crossed her arms, looking pleased. "You know, people always expect the Aphrodite cabin to be the one with the most relationship drama. I'm glad to hear it's actually the Zeus kids." 

"It makes sense," Annabeth agreed. "Being problematic is inherent in Big Three kid's DNA." She narrowed her eyes, looking at something behind them. "Well, I guess there's a few exceptions." 

Frank turned just in time to see Hazel plop on the blanket next to him, grabbing for a sandwich sleepily. "Hey guys," she greeted. "What did I miss?"

"Most of Saturday," Frank answered, and she nodded, unsurprised. Frank couldn't believe she was awake already-- when he'd had magical exhaustion he'd taken a lot longer to be up and moving again, and he hadn’t even done _that much_ to get so tired. "Are you alright?"

"Hungry," she said, unperturbed. "What're we talking about?"

"Big three children," Piper answered easily. "Annabeth says they're all problematic, with you as the exception." 

"That's nice." Hazel took a bite of her sandwich as they all watched, waiting to see if she'd deny that the other Big Three kids she knew-- aka, most of her friends, as well as her brother-- were problematic, but she didn't. Instead she just looked confused at the staring, and said "What?"

"Well, she isn't wrong," Jason admitted. 

Thalia high-fived him. "We just lead more exciting lives than Annabeth. She can't help but be jealous." 

Annabeth scoffed. "We should've kept you as a tree." 

"Artemis should've let you keep holding the sky," Thalia retorted. "We could've picked you back up after the war. You would've been too tired to be angry." 

"Oh, I'll get there eventually," Annabeth said, leaning on Thalia's shoulder. "One of these days I'll finally manage to work myself all the way into an early grave." 

"It's good to have goals," Thalia said easily, stroking her hair. 

"Don't encourage her," Piper chided, and Thalia waved a hand. 

"I'm leaving soon, I can be as bad of an influence as I want." 

"Don't listen to them, you're an _excellent_ influence," Annabeth said, scowling. 

"As much as I hate to go back to old conversations, I have a question," Leo interjected. He waited until Thalia gave him an intrigued look before continuing, like he'd been waiting for permission from the scary goth girl. "So, Jason is Roman and you're Greek, right? So how can you actually be siblings then?"

"Oh, piggybacking off that," Piper chimed in, "Thalia, how come you aren't at all surprised to learn about the Romans?"

"Well, the Hunters already knew about Camp Jupiter," Thalia said, like it was obvious. "We travel the entire country, of course we run into them. Artemis isn't interested in keeping us in the dark about such matters. As for Leo's question, my understanding is that our mother managed to seduce both Zeus, and then later Jupiter. So even though we are sibling children of the sky god, we can belong at different camps." 

"Good to know that all of my friends were keeping Camp Jupiter a secret from me," Annabeth said, pulling back. 

"Aww, Annie, you know it's not like that," Thalia said, but Annabeth shook her head, dismissing the apology. 

Leo focused on what he must’ve thought was the important part of the conversation: "Wow, you must've had a hot mom." 

Jason turned to Thalia. "Was she?"

She shrugged. "Google her later, there's lots of pictures online. You can decide for yourself." 

Frank felt a twinge of sympathy for Jason. _Google your mom to know what she looked like_ was never a nice thing to hear. His mom may have died too, but at least he had a chance to know her. 

Jason seemed to be thinking something along those lines too, his features downcast. Thankfully, Leo stepped in, dissipating the tension. "Well, if we're talking about hot parents, Piper's dad--" 

Piper bopped him on the head with her fist, like she was playing whac-a-mole. He swatted her hands away, fluffing up his hair again like he was worried she’d messed it up. 

"We are _not_ talking about my dad, especially not in this context," Piper said insistently. "Let's talk about literally anything else. Like, for example, Jason, how was your training?"

"Good," Jason answered pleasantly. "Thalia showed me some moves and blasted me with lightning. I thought I was going to go blind, but I didn't. Now, what's this about a hot dad?"

"It's _soooooooo_ embarrassing," Leo said, dodging another swat from Piper. "One of my sisters, Nyssa, has a poster of him by her bed. Every night she--" 

"Oh dam, I think it's time for me to get going." Thalia stood, shooting Piper a look like _you're welcome._ "Annabeth, hug me goodbye." 

"You didn't have to ask me to," Annabeth grumbled, squeezing her tightly. "You need to visit more. Life at camp's more bearable with you around." 

"That compliment's going straight to my ego," Thalia warned, hugging her back. When they broke apart, Thalia gave her a meaningful look, like _don't be an idiot_ and Annabeth shot her a dirty look back, like _leave me alone, I can do what I want._ Thalia sighed. 

Jason had stood too, and was waiting awkwardly for his turn. When they hugged, it was Thalia who squeezed the tightest, holding on the longest. She muttered something to him as she did that was probably teary and meaningful, but Jason just looked a little lost. They pulled back, and he shoved his hands in his pockets firmly. "Have a safe trip." 

"You too," Thalia agreed. "We'll see each other again soon. I was in the middle of a hunt when I got Annabeth's letter, but we do occasionally get breaks. I'll try to swing by Camp Jupiter next time I get the chance." 

Jason nodded glumly and stepped back. Thalia moved away from the picnic as storm clouds gathered overheard, circling them. The winds picked up, and Thalia soared upward until the clouds hid her from view.

"Like a Renaissance painting," Hazel muttered, reaching for another sandwich while still staring at the sky. "Beautiful." 

"She's flying like that across multiple state lines," Jason muttered, sitting down hard. "I could never." 

"Maybe not yet," Frank said, trying to be optimistic. "But soon."

"Soon," Jason repeated, looking dejected. "Sure."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I absolutely loved the first part of this chapter and was somewhat meh about the second part, but sometimes you just have to post your work and get it out in the world :P Hope you liked it!
> 
> In this chapter:  
> \- Jason reacting to Sister Drama  
> \- the moment with Jason and Annabeth talking on the beach (including "Do I look like I have the patience for that anymore?" scene)  
> \- Jason and Thalia at breakfast talking about powers (including Jason's first time using his powers)  
> \- Frank's pov (and him telling the Ares cabin about his powers!!)  
> \- Frank checking in on Hazel and talking to Will (and then Nico) about Scary Big Three Powers and Trust(TM)  
> \- Picnic party!! With Piper and Leo bickering, Annabeth and Thalia bonding, Thalia and Jason realizing they're both genetically predisposed to be promiscuous bisexuals, and more  
> \- Goodbyes to Thalia
> 
> In other news, I am now back at college so my updating schedule will probably be changing from what you'/re used to, just so you know! 
> 
> Also, I hope none of you on this chapter needs to hear this, BUT if you go to the top of this fic and click the "subscribe" button you will get an email telling you when it updates! Hopefully all of you already knew this, but if not, DO THIS-- you deserve better than checking fics at random to see if they've updated. 
> 
> Please comment and let me know what you thought, and have a great day!


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was supposed to be longer, but the ending is Important(TM) and needs a few more days to marinate, so I decided to just post this part early! They'll go to CJ in the next chapter, but until then, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**Annabeth**

The trailer rocked around as they thundered down the road. The metal cages shifted and creaked despite being bolted to the floor, and the three questers had to hold on just to keep from sliding around. It was miserable and dark and dusty, but when Annabeth looked across the trailer, she met Percy’s eyes and didn’t know how to look away.

Their first quest together was unlike anything else. They’d been unfathomably young, and Percy hadn’t been at camp for a full week before being sent off to save his mom. Really, that was the story of Percy’s life— things were thrust upon him too soon, too fast, and he was forced to hold his head high and try to bear the weight. 

Annabeth had been bitter toward him in the beginning, but it hadn’t been real. She hadn’t known true bitterness back then, only known longing— longing for an identity in her mother, longing for an excuse to leave camp, longing for a chance to prove herself. There was a different sort of longing there too, a longing she wasn’t sure she’d ever allow herself. She was the daughter of Athena, she knew she could survive without affection. 

And yet. 

Her eyes lingered, sometimes. When she was younger, she had watched Thalia and Luke interact like an old married couple, understanding each other on such an intrinsic level, and thought _that. I want that._

She wanted their ease, their companionship, the way they understood each other without words. They were in a relationship, but it was unlike any relationship Annabeth had ever seen. It reminded her less of the way her dad and step-mom interacted, and more of the way her dad talked about Athena. _I knew it was only for a time,_ he would say, _but she was the most spectacular person I’d ever met. I didn’t want to blink and miss a single moment._

Sometimes, that was how Luke looked at Thalia. And that’s how Annabeth looked at the both of them. 

Now, sitting in the trailer headed for Vegas, she looked at Percy, and he looked at her. There was a sickening feeling in her gut, and she wondered if she was going to throw up or cry or simply _explode._ She didn’t know what this feeling was, didn’t even know how she _felt_ about the son of the sea god, but by the gods, she knew there was something there. Love, eventually. Tragedy, inevitably. 

With one look, she could see straight into their commingled future. With one look, she could see a lifetime of pain.

 _He’s nothing but trouble,_ she thought. And she was right. 

But it didn’t stop her. 

One quest turned into a dozen. They retrieved the lightning bolt, helped some troubled nature spirits, explored the sea of monsters, ran a mission for Aphrodite, on and on, for months and seasons and _years._ They were dating before either of them even realized, but then, _oh gods._

Percy kissed her like he was dying, and she was the last thing he wanted to remember. 

For a while, he was dying. Close calls on quests aside, his lifespan was limited. If he survived all their quests and monster fights, then he still had an expiration date on his 16th birthday. They had no time to lose. 

They spent every minute together they could, and in the back of her mind, Annabeth knew it was a mistake. She knew she should plan better, that when he _did_ die, she’d need to be able to go on, but she just couldn’t bring herself to do it. She wanted his every minute, every hour. She wanted to breath him in, hold him so close to her heart he’d never be able to leave. 

She didn’t want to protect herself. She just wanted him. 

And besides, at least she knew when his time would come. The fates had all but said the date of his death: she could prepare better when it came time. She already knew her friends and siblings would rally around her: Malcolm had already promised as much. 

_Is this wise?_ He’d asked. He’d always been quiet but dangerously intelligent, and had never been too afraid to call her on her bullshit. 

_Probably not,_ Annabeth admitted. _It’s alright. We still have months before I have to deal with reality._

_Alright. We’ll be there for you when it comes time._

She had imagined funerals with her friends by her side, speeches written months in advance, tears that were real but happy. It would be somber but survivable. It was like she’d already read the ending to an amazing book-- when the time came, she knew it’d be devastating, but at least she knew what to prepare for.

Their time ticked down _so fast._ Questing and kissing and telling each other everything, _everything,_ every passing thought and feeling and desire. Annabeth told Percy things she’d never told anyone before, told him about her family and her pain, told him about the way she’d looked at Thalia and Luke, both of them, and Percy just… got it. He understood it all. 

They were laying on Half-Blood Hill, watching the stars, and Percy said _In the future—_

 _Shhh,_ Annabeth shushed. _Don’t talk about it._

_I’m just saying. What if the prophecy never happened, what if we grew up—_

He shared dreams for a future they would never get— college, marriage, everything they’d never get, not together. The entire time, Annabeth bit her lip, trying to keep her eyes dry and body still. She didn’t want him to know how much it hurt. 

Finally, he finished, and she had to pull herself together. _Marriage isn’t everything, you know. We have each other right now, in this moment. We don’t need anything else._

Percy closed his eyes, leaning his forehead against hers. _Maybe. I know it’s just a piece of paper, it’s just… I don’t know how to put it._

_How to put what?_

_I want to be yours forever,_ he whispered. _That’s all._

They leaned forward to kiss, and Annabeth was crying, and— and—

Annabeth woke up in her bed. It was after the Titan War, and Percy was dead. He was dead, he’d died _months_ before his 16th birthday, what was the point of a prophecy when it came true like this, oh gods, oh gods—

She clamped a hand over her mouth so she didn’t wake up any of the others as the panic attack hit her full force. _It will go away soon,_ she thought, body wracked with silent sobs. _It will end._

She hated those dreams, hated seeing his face again, feeling his hands, hearing his heartbeat, but she wasn’t able to put off sleep forever. Eventually, she fell asleep, and then she was completely vulnerable to whatever chose to attack in the night. 

The Hypnos cabin had no answers for her. _Sometimes, when you feel hard enough, for long enough, it all goes away,_ Clovis had said, pitying her. 

But they didn’t go away. It had been four years, and they didn’t go away. 

_We were supposed to have more time,_ she thought, furious. _We were supposed to have more time._

***

**Jason**

“I thought we’d have more time,” Jason admitted. “It felt like the days flew by.”

“I can’t relate,” Percy said over the Iris Message. He was dressed especially sloppy today, with low-rise gray sweatpants and an oversized hoodie that looked like it’d been pulled out of a dumpster. He looked like he hadn’t showered in days, and probably smelled like shit, but Jason couldn’t help being slightly endeared. “It feels like you guys have been gone forever. Oh, by the way, Thalia IM-ed me.”

Jason frowned. “Seriously? Was it alright, I mean did she—”

“It was fine,” Percy said with a shrug. “Honestly, I’m surprised more people haven’t tried. I was a little surprised to see her, but it was alright.”

“Yeah? What’d she say?”

“Well, she told me about your reunion,” Percy said, looking away. “Sorry for not telling you earlier, I just—”

“It’s fine, it’s dealt with,” Jason said. He still felt a little off about the whole situation, but he was managing it. He was _totally_ dealing with his emotions and not ignoring them for more pressing concerns. Totally. “And after that?”

“She said I grew up.” Percy looked like he wasn’t sure how to react to this statement, and it made Jason smile. “I told her she looked the exact same, which is technically true. I mean, she physically hasn’t aged since I last saw her, though she is using way more eyeliner now. Do you think she gets it at CVS, or makes it herself? Do the Hunters have a budget for makeup?”

Jason shrugged. “Dunno. It was alright to see her, though? Even though she’s a person from your past?”

Percy took on a slightly pained look, but pushed through it. “Yeah, yeah. She’s a Big Three kid, ya know? She was one of the contenders to be the child of the prophecy, so she gets it. She wasn’t angry at me for not showing up sooner.”

“That’s really good.” Jason knew that was one of Percy’s biggest fears about seeing old friends again. When he’d first gotten to the Roman camp, he’d been drowning in shame for not helping in the war— and for whatever else happened on that boat, that he didn’t talk about. The point was, he’d been too trapped in his own emotions to be able to think logically about his friends. He’d been convinced they’d hate him for something he couldn’t control. Previously, Jason hadn’t been sure what was true, but now he knew that for the most part, no one held Percy’s not coming back against him. Still, it was good to hear that Thalia hadn’t given him a hard time. 

But that brought up another worry. The council had voted that morning and announced that Annabeth was confirmed to be going on the quest, as their chief strategist. Jason didn’t have to like it, it had already been made official. Which meant that in less than 6 hours, they’d be face to face once more. 

Jason had already started talking to Frank about it. They had to do everything in their power to protect Percy— for their friend’s sake, but also for the sake of the quest. If Percy and Annabeth tried to kill each other, they could say goodbye to the peace treaty. 

Percy scratched his head idly. Jason wondered how much he’d thought about Annabeth being at Camp Jupiter, if he was ready for it. Frank had said he and Percy had Iris Messaged already, but they hadn’t talked about Annabeth. 

_Great, I get the shitty job,_ Jason thought. “Percy, there’s something we need to talk about.”

“Are we breaking up?” Percy asked, giving Jason the most ridiculous doe-eyes he’d ever seen. “Because if so, we _will_ be having a custody battle over the kids. I’m not going down without a fight.”

Jason opened his mouth, then closed it. “The kids? Do you mean—”

“Frank, Hazel,” Percy said flippantly. “Maybe Nico too, but I might let you keep him.”

There was so much wrong with that Jason didn’t even know where to begin. “Okay, well first of all, that’s not what I was going to say. Secondly, shut up, we all know Frank is the mom in this situation—”

“If he’s the mom, then who’s the dad?”

“Um, Reyna? Actually no, that’s just wrong. And then we’d be what, brothers?”

“What in the Alabama,” Percy said in a Southern accent, and Jason had to hide his face in his hands and take a few deep breaths. 

“Incest jokes aside—” he started, and Percy started to interupt again, assumably with more awful jokes, but Jason wasn’t having it. “No, stop, I don’t want to hear it.”

“Mean.”

“ _Listen,_ ” Jason insisted, trying to keep his shit together. He could do this— had to do it, because he’d already been surprised by someone’s appearance this week, and he was not going to allow the same thing to happen to Percy. “Annabeth is coming back to camp with us.”

That ruined Percy’s mood pretty efficiently. He sighed, and flopped back on his bed. “Cool. Cool.”

“Oh, there’s more,” Jason said, and Percy gave two thumbs up, looking like he’d already died and was ready to be cremated. “She doesn’t think it’s really you. She thinks you died in the labyrinth and that present-day-you is just a robot or something.”

Percy snorted without humor. With his oversized clothes, he looked like he was slowly being engulfed by his bed covers. “That’s great. I love that for her.”

“Come on Percy, take this seriously.”

“Oh, I am,” he said, sitting up straight. “This is good, it’s great, actually. If she doesn’t think it’s me, she won’t hate me for not coming back to camp.”

“But you have to convince her—”

“Of what, the truth?” Percy laughed. “Yeah, sure. Totally.”

Jason felt a headache start behind his temples. Seriously, why couldn’t Frank have done this? “Percy—”

“If she doesn’t want to know the truth, I’m not going to force it on her,” Percy continued, looking like he was getting used to the idea. “Nothing has to change. She can be in denial, and I can move on with my life. It’s a win-win.”

“That’s an asshole thing to do. She took your death really hard.”

“I took my capture pretty hard too,” Percy insisted, voice getting louder now. He narrowed his eyes. “It was a pain in the ass, and— I’m allowed good things, you know? Annabeth Chase is not a _good thing,_ I don’t need her anger or pity or— or—” he bit his lip, squeezing his hands into fists at his side. “I got a new weapon, by the way. It’s super cool.”

“It sounds great,” Jason said dryly. “But about Annabeth—”

“There’s nothing left to say,” Percy repeated. “Hey, I died for her, she died for me. Maybe our arch really has come to an end. That’s alright. It’s alright.”

“Died for—”

“Died in her eyes,” Percy corrected. “Really, this is the best possible outcome. I didn’t want to go back to camp because she’d be there and she’d— she’d _see me._ She’d see me for everything I lost and everything I became and everything that— that happened to me— she’d see right through me. She always has.”

Jason wanted to say _what are you afraid of her seeing?_ but stopped himself. He knew. Even if he didn’t want to think about it— he knew. 

“She deserves the truth.”

“She deserves jack-shit from me,” Percy snapped, getting more defensive. Jason realized he was backing him into a corner, and nothing else good would come from this conversation, so he backed off. 

“Sure,” Jason said, giving in. “Just… be reasonable.”

“Reasonable my ass,” Percy retorted. “But anyways, that new weapon. It’s pretty epic.”

“What is-?” Jason started asking, but Percy cut him off with a shake of his head. 

“Come back to camp and you’ll see it for yourself.”

“I can do that,” Jason said, not really paying attention. His mind was spiraling back to the day he’d left, when he said a metaphorical _fuck you_ to everyone who saw him as a goody-two-shoes and kissed Percy in front of the whole camp. If he thought hard enough, he could still imagine the way the weight of Percy’s back felt against his arm as he dipped him, the press of his lips to him—

“I miss you,” Jason muttered. 

“I miss you too,” Percy said, rushed and overly casual. “All of you. All of my friends.”

“But me especially?”

Percy smirked. “I miss your di—”

“Anyways,” Jason said loudly, covering up the end of Percy’s sentence. Percy laughed a little, clearly delighted with himself, and Jason couldn’t decide whether to be amused or annoyed. “I’ll be back in a couple hours. You can show me your weapon then— your _big_ weapon, not the one in your pants.” He squeezed his eyes shut: _now I’ve done it._

“Oh, the one in my pants _is_ my big weapon,” Percy joked, and Jason considered self-lobotomizing. 

“You kill me,” he deadpanned. “Actually, sorry, I said that wrong, I meant ‘please kill me’.”

“Sure,” Percy agreed cheerfully. “Which weapon do you want me to use?”

 _I set myself up for that one._ “For the record, you don’t have to only miss me for the sex. You can miss me for other reasons.”

“Oh?” Percy said, feigning disinterest. “Because I really do recall hearing _this is a one time thing, no strings attached—_ ”

“Oh, fuck off,” Jason laughed. “Don’t hold that against me. I use that line on everyone, it’s a force of habit.’

“What, am I not the only girl in your life?” Percy teased, blinking flirtatiously. “I’m hurt.”

Jason was about to reply when there was a knock on the door, and Percy got a slightly panicked look on his face. “Go get that. I’ll see you in a few hours.”

“See you in a few hours,” Jason agreed. “Maybe take a shower first? You look kind of—”

Percy rolled his eyes and slingshot a rubber band right through the mist, dissolving the message. Just then, the door opened, and Annabeth stepped in. “You really shouldn’t be in here,” she said, giving Jason a dirty look. 

“Nico said it was okay,” Jason countered. “You guys ready for diplomacy lessons?”

“Sure,” she said, still scowling. “Let’s get it over with.”

“I’m sure it’ll be quick. You’re naturally so nice and respectful, how could it not be?”

“Sorry, what were you saying?” Annabeth mocked, drawing her sword in a faux-threat. Jason knew it was supposed to be a joke, but it was hard not to take her seriously. With the dark expression on her face, the scars wrapping up her arm, and the sword in her hand— long, double-edged, with two different shades of metal like it was twice as deadly— she looked like she could kill just about anything she put her mind to. 

_Wow, I really fucked this girl’s boyfriend,_ Jason thought as he slipped by her. “I didn’t say anything. Let’s get to those lessons."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter:  
> Annabeth's POV with her dreams! Including:   
> \- Seeing the scene from when they were in the Zoo truck going to Vegas, right after she and Percy really talked for the first time  
> \- Remembering Thalia/Luke stuff   
> \- Remembering when they star-gazed and talked about the future (they didn't expect Percy to have)  
> \- Waking up to a panic attack (a regular occurrence for her, rip)
> 
> Also! Percy and Jason's Iris Message:  
> \- Percy mentioning that Thalia IM-ed him earlier ("She told me I grew up")  
> \- Percy doing his Absolute Darnest to stay away from serious topics (what in the Alabama)  
> \- But also! Percy's new weapon!  
> \- Jason telling him about Annabeth's current state for the first time   
> \- Percy deciding he wouldn't try to correct Annabeth's delusion  
> \- More "I miss you's" (allusion to the Reyna conversation, anyone?)  
> \- Annabeth coming to the cabin and Jason reflecting on the fact that he really screwed this Amazon's bf
> 
> Hey, so you know that whole thing where Annabeth talked about Luke and Thalia? Feel free to read ALL THE WAY into that :)
> 
> Please comment and let me know what you think, and have a great day!


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this chapter wrecks you :)

**Jason**

It took a few hours, but finally the questers were as prepared as possible for dealing with Roman politics. They looked a little intimidated, but they seemed to have grasped all the important concepts. Even Annabeth had forgotten to be snarky in favor of mastering the new knowledge. 

“How are they?” Frank asked, pulling Jason aside as they were wrapping things up. 

“About as good as they’re going to get,” Jason said. He was tired from the hours-long lesson and everything else going on in life, but his work would be over soon. “I think we’ll just talk for a little longer, and then I’ll let them go pack.”

“Good. We’re leaving in an hour.”

Jason shook his head in disbelief. It felt as if he’d only just gotten here. 

They finished up the lesson and the Greek ambassadors left to finish getting ready. Jason didn’t have enough time to do anything besides shove his stuff in his bag and get dressed in his freshly-polished armor, but as he was heading out to the chariot, he couldn’t help staring at the rock wall. He _still_ hadn’t conquered it. 

_Next time,_ he thought. Of course, there was no guarantee there would ever be a next time, but Jason had to hope. He loved Camp Jupiter, but there was just something special about Camp Half-Blood. Maybe it was the comradery, maybe it was the family, maybe it was just the utter lack of expectations, the way everyone was allowed to be themselves… Jason wasn’t sure. But he liked it, and he wanted more of it. Maybe not permanently, but something. 

_I’ll come back,_ he swore internally, as if making an oath to the ground beneath him. _There’s more for me here. I’ll come back._

***

The goodbyes were bittersweet. They were quicker for Jason and Hazel, who only had to say goodbye to a handful of demigods each, but Frank had a whole cabin who’d grown to love him. They all hugged, promising to write and Iris Message, and then Frank stepped away, expression growing intense. “Alright. Let’s get this show on the road.”

The send off was small, but well-intentioned, as many things at this camp were. Chiron came to bid them farewell, and a few other demigods lingered, wishing the Greek ambassadors luck. Among them were Will and Nico, who had both opted to stay behind. Apparently, classes started in under a week, and Will wanted to make a good first impression at their boujee alternative school, so being a few days late because they were on a quest wasn’t the move to make. 

“I’ll come by if you need me,” Nico promised sincerely. “Either way, keep me posted.”

Jason promised to do so, and stepped back so Hazel could say her own goodbyes. 

Since Will was staying behind, Leo had been selected in their place. Jason wondered if he’d just been chosen as an excuse to get him to leave his forge for a few days, but if that was the case, Jason didn’t think he minded. Leo seemed cool, he wouldn’t mind getting a chance to know him a little better.

“You’ve got everything?” Jason confirmed, and the Greek ambassadors all nodded. They wore serious expressions as they climbed into their chariot, no doubt thinking about the importance of this treaty. 

“We’ll follow you,” Piper said with a reassuring smile.

As their chariots lifted into the air, Jason thought of Thalia again, flying through the clouds without fear. It made him sad to think of, but he pushed those feelings aside. Eventually, he would learn how to have a sister. He could give himself time. 

The Roman chariot went first with the Greek one following behind. Jason waited until he was sure they were out of earshot before turning to his friends. “We have to make sure this peace treaty works out.”

“Agreed,” Frank said. “Camp Half-Blood is weird, but it’s too good to lose. We need to do everything we can to fight for both camps.”

“I can’t imagine living there,” Hazel admitted, “But I can see how good it is for some people. Will and Nico both thrive there, and it’s such a good place for younger demigods. Can you imagine some of them training with the Twelfth Legion?”

Frank shook his head. “No. I mean, they’re just kids.”  
“Camp Jupiter doesn’t have a good program for younger demigods,” Jason agreed. “But if we could get this alliance to work…”

He didn’t have to finish his sentence. If this alliance worked out, they could do _so much good_ for both camps. Screw Roman and Greek— demigods could go where they belonged, to the legion to train, or to the camp to be a kid for a little longer. The possibilities were endless. 

Hazel leaned against Frank’s side, sighing. “We’ll make it work. I know we can do it.”

 _I hope so,_ Jason thought. Everything was riding on this. 

  
  


**Annabeth**

“I can’t believe we’re going to see the other camp,” Piper said in awe. 

They were flying hundreds of feet in the air. Leo leaned against the front of the chariot, eyes closed as he let the wind rush through his brown curls majestically. It was good to see him out and about-- ever since he’d found Bunker 9 in the woods, it had been nearly impossible to pull him away from his projects, especially after hearing Rachel’s prophecy. 

Piper was on the other side of the chariot, her hair braided down one shoulder like she was preparing to fight in the Hunger Games. She held on with one hand, the other fingering her leather necklace: one bead, for the one summer she’d been there. Technically, they were supposed to get their beads on the last day of summer, but they probably wouldn’t be back in time so they’d gotten theirs early. 

Like the others, Piper was wearing her orange Camp Half-Blood shirt and shorts, though her shirt was cropped and her shorts were more fashionable than either Annabeth or Leo’s. There was something about the whole ensemble that made Piper seem nice, likeable, normal. Piper’s most impressive power was her ability to charmspeak, but one of her most impressive _skills_ was her ability to make people underestimate her. At first glance, most people would see the outfit, the short sword at her side, the friendly demeanor. They wouldn’t see Piper’s powerful voice-- or the set of throwing knives she had tucked into the side of her sports bra, made readily available by the fact that her shirt was cropped. Piper certainly used her femininity to her advantage. 

Annabeth wasn’t especially close to either Piper or Leo, but she was glad to have them at her side. When Will announced they wanted to rescind from the quest, Annabeth had pushed hard for Leo to go in their place. Though neither Piper nor Leo were especially threatening, they both had powers that made them fierce in combat, and would make capture next to impossible. 

Annabeth was done watching demigods die. 

She hoped it wouldn’t become an issue, but she wasn’t interested in testing the fates. Hopefully, the Romans were amiable to their terms and an alliance could be formed. If not-- if this was a trap, as she’d been expecting-- then her team wouldn’t go down without a fight. Technically, as the only one without powers, Annabeth was at the highest risk, which was fine with her. If she was the weak link, then that meant they had a strong team. 

_I can’t believe we’re going to see the other camp,_ Piper had said. “You’d better believe it,” Annabeth answered, knowing she’d taken too long to answer. Her mind was working slower than usual, mentally building new walls to prepare for what came next. “We’ll be there in under an hour. Then we’ll be putting Jason’s etiquette lessons to the test.”

“I don’t need etiquette, I’m naturally likable,” Leo said, eyes still closed and face turned toward the sun. _At least one of us is enjoying themselves,_ Annabeth thought bitterly. 

“Your police record says otherwise,” Piper objected, but Leo dismissed her. 

“It was only a few small fires. Besides, I’ve gotten it under control.”

“Comforting,” Annabeth replied dryly. _Powerful is good,_ she reminded herself, though there was an edge to it. She’d been on quests with the most powerful demigod in the world, and it hadn’t saved him. 

“Are you going to be alright?” Piper asked, tone suddenly growing more concerned. Annabeth looked over, unsure if she was talking to her, but she was. 

“Yes?” Annabeth said, making it into a question. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

Piper didn’t look impressed. “Percy will be down there.”

“You mean Percy’s look-alike,” Annabeth corrected automatically. “I’m not concerning myself with it. We’re here to make a peace alliance, not to play any silly games. The less weight we put into their trickery, the better off we’ll be.”

 _The better off_ I’ll _be,_ she corrected internally. Neither Piper or Leo had met Percy, they wouldn’t feel anything from seeing or interacting with his clone. It was herself that Annabeth had to worry about. 

_I know Percy,_ she reminded herself. She knew what he looked like, knew the weapons he used, knew the types of friends he made. She would look for his appearance, his sword, his band of outcast friends, and she wouldn’t find them. She would just find a shell-- an automaton, or an image in the mist, or a child of Hecate in disguise. Not Percy. 

_He’s dead,_ she reminded herself. _He’s dead, and that’s all there is to it._

She remembered sitting with him in the sun--

 _You have a quest,_ she chided herself. _Now is not the time._

She just hoped the Percy clone down below wasn’t _too_ accurate. The more realistic he was, the more he looked like _her_ Percy, the harder it would be to stand before the praetors of Rome and say she wanted peace. 

Annabeth checked over her weapons, making sure her sword and knife were both in position. For camp’s sake, she hoped the peace treaty worked out, but if it didn’t, she wouldn’t be too upset. She was better suited to war than anything else at this point, so if war came, she would be ready. And she would slay as many Romans as needed to avenge Percy-- to avenge Percy _again._

 _Gods of Olympus,_ she thought, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. _Make it stop._

She remembered sitting with him in the sun, the smell of strawberries in the air. He was frowning up at the sky, trying to think something through, and she was thinking of that night months before where he’d said those words that repeated in her head like a mantra: _I want to be yours forever. That’s it._

And Annabeth felt the same way. 

She still did. 

**Jason**

Jason's heart fluttered as New Rome came into view. He was hesitant to use the word "home" to describe it, but it was the word he wanted to use. The place was beautiful and familiar, filled with people Jason cared about. He was scared for the fanfare of their landing, but he couldn't wait to be back. 

As they got closer, he saw that there definitely would be _fanfare_. The entire legion, it seemed, was out to greet them, dressed in armor that glistened in the sunlight. In the center of the crowd was a raised dais with multiple figures standing on it, and though Jason couldn't see facial features from here, he knew what the twin purple cloaks meant. 

_Reyna's down there_ , he thought. _And Percy, somewhere. And Gwen and Octavian and all my friends, they're all down there._

They swooped closer, and the music started up, horns blaring triumphantly. Jason's heart did a little flip in his chest. All this fanfare was for their quest, the quest he was leading. He couldn't disappoint. 

"Wow," Hazel said, unbelieving. "They really went the full nine yards." 

"They did." Jason remembered their introduction at Camp Half-Blood, how no one had been there to greet them, how demigods actively ran away from them, how someone had to go and find Chiron for them. In contrast, New Rome's greeting was perfectly planned, with hanging banners and music and not a legionnaire out of place. 

_I hope Annabeth is intimidated_ , Jason thought, probably cruelly. He didn't want her to feel scared or anything, he just hoped that when she looked down over the side of her chariot, she saw the true power of Rome for what it was. 

As they came in for their landing, people started cheering. Jason stood as tall as he could, and chided his questmates, "Shoulders back, chin up, proper posture. We're representing Rome."

He saw them make the necessary adjustments out of the corner of his eye, and then they were landing, and he grabbed onto the chariot’s handhold to keep his balance. When they came to a stop, his legs were shaky, but he was ready. 

He stepped off the chariot, Hazel and Frank following behind him. The other chariot was a minute behind, so now all of the crowd's attention was solely on them. 

They marched through the crowd of people, seeing familiar faces wherever they looked. People came up to shout congratulations and pat them on the back, but Jason worked hard not to get distracted. He said his hellos all while pulling his teammates through the ground, eyes locked on the steps up to the stage.

Atop the dais stood a variety of figures. On the far right stood a few rows of demigods draped in togas: the centurions, all lined up and dressed to greet them. On the far left side of the stage stood Percy. Seeing him made Jason's heart do another acrobatic routine in his chest. It didn't help that Percy looked _clean_ and _healthy_ , dressed in luxurious clothes and shimmering armor, a large golden trident at his side. Jason had no idea where he'd gotten it from, but he held it like he knew how to use it, and that just made Jason's heart flutter more. 

That must have been the new weapon Percy'd been talking about. Tridents weren’t used by either Romans or Greeks in combat, not really, but they weren't all that different from spears. They would be harder to wield, though, requiring an advanced fighter. Percy holding a trident wasn't just a sign of his lineage, but a sign of his power. 

_I am the best of the best_ , he seemed to be saying. _I am the Son of Neptune, one of the eldest gods, and a child of Rome. I will skewer you without batting an eye._

 _Hot_ , Jason thought enthusiastically.

Finally, he turned his attention to the main event. In the center of the dais stood the two praetors of Rome, Reyna and Octavian. They were both dressed in polished golden armor with medals adorning their chests. Draped over their shoulders were purple cloaks, the marks of their status, and green laurel wreaths were tucked behind their ears, as if they were celebrating a great victory. Their faces were like stone, their posture absolutely perfect.

They made such a powerful duo Jason's knees wanted to buckle. His mind was divided into two sides: the side that wanted to run and hide from this obvious display of power, and the side that thought he should be standing beside them, dressed in purple robes of his own. 

Jason climbed the stairs to the dais and knelt before his praetors, hearing his teammates following his lead. 

"Ambassadors," Reyna greeted. "I trust that your presence here means you have been successful on your quest?"

Everyone was quiet, as if holding their breaths. Jason was still looking at the wooden deck beneath him, bowing respectfully. He cleared his throat, trying to project his voice as he said "Yes, praetor."

The stage practically shook from the force of the cheering. Jason risked looking up, and found Reyna looking down at him, a soft expression on her face. She wouldn't say it outloud, not now, but he saw the approval in her eyes. 

Jason's mind filled with very inconvenient images of him standing and dipping Reyna in a kiss, just like the one he'd given Percy. He wanted to, wanted to feel her body against his again, but he held himself back. Right now, they weren't lovers. Right now, she was praetor, and he was her subordinate. The traditions of Rome demanded to be upheld. 

Just then, the other chariot landed, and the trumpets blasted louder, the audience shifting to get a better view of the new arrivals. Reyna gestured dismissively, and Jason and his team bowed again before ducking to the side, going to stand by Percy. That caused a whole new set of emotions to rush through Jason, making it feel nearly impossible to uphold etiquette.

Frank didn’t seem to have this problem. "Percy!" he said breathlessly, almost tackling him in a bear hug. 

"Frank!" Percy replied, grinning from ear to ear. "And Hazel, it's so good to see you guys." He gave her a more casual side-hug, which she seemed fine with. Then his gaze landed on Jason.

 _I should kiss him,_ Jason thought, desperate. _By the gods, let me kiss him._

Logically, he knew he needed to play it cool, not make a scene. But Percy was _right there_ , and it had been _so long_ , and Jason had been worried, genuinely worried, that something would happen to him while he was gone. But nothing did. He hadn't run away in the night, hadn't made any sort of real trouble, hadn't accidentally fallen on his own sword and killed himself. And it wasn't that Jason didn't trust Percy, it was just that the Son of Neptune was flighty and unstable, and it scared Jason half to death. But he was here-- they were both here-- and Jason wanted a kiss or _something_. 

He settled on a hug, pulling Percy tight against him quickly before backing off. For just a moment, he could feel the press of Percy's body against his, hear the shakiness of his breath. 

"You look good," Percy muttered. 

"Speak for yourself." Jason took a step back to look Percy over. He looked incredibly regal in his purple shirt, golden armor, and white toga. His hair was perfectly swooped to the side, the patches of road rash were hardly visible, and his dark eyebags were nonexistent. No, not nonexistent-- covered. Percy was wearing concealer. 

Jason felt his heart drop. Percy's entire appearance right now was an act. Jason hated that he couldn't just be healthy and fine-- Percy _deserved_ to be healthy and fine-- but he made himself move on to lighter thoughts. 

"Is that my shirt?" He asked, keeping his voice down.

Percy's troublemaker smile made an appearance just for a second. "You weren't using it," he defended, and Jason had to contain his grin. Only Percy would wear clothes stolen from a hook-up to an important ceremony where he was set to reunite with his girlfriend-- or ex-girlfriend, maybe. 

Speaking of. 

The crowd of Romans parted, letting the demigods through. Unlike them, the Greeks wore no armor, no medals, no symbols of their status. Their weapons hung dully at their sides, except for Leo, who was weaponless and wore an old mechanics tool belt instead, like maybe he'd gone to the wrong address and was actually supposed to be doing a plumbing job. 

The thing that saved them, though, was their expressions. All three walked with power in their step, and leading them was Annabeth, determination blazing behind her eyes. Her knife was at her side, but her sword was at her back. When people caught glimpses of it's dual-blade, they stepped back, as if sensing it's danger. When they saw the purple scarring up and down Annabeth's arm and neck, they shifted uncomfortably. 

When Jason and Thalia had talked, she told him of her shield, aegis. Apparently, it had the depiction of Medusa emblazoned on it, and was so horrifying it disoriented her enemies in a fight. That was the effect Annabeth had on the audience, except she didn't have a shield. It was all her.

Beside him, Jason could feel Percy tense. When he glanced over, he saw that he was pale-faced, his knuckles white around his trident. The concealer was doing him no good-- no amount of makeup in the world could erase the haunted look on his face right now. 

Annabeth climbed the dais and stopped, looking straight forward at Percy. 

Jason had imagined this scene many times in the past few days, and he still wasn’t sure what he was hoping for. Maybe she’d be furious at him for ‘pretending to be’ Percy and try to kill him. Maybe she’d judo-flip him to establish dominance. Or maybe she’d realize, right in this moment, that it was him, and they’d reunite with a passionate kiss. 

Jason knew that it would hurt to see that last option play through, but still it was the one he was rooting for. _Come on guys,_ he pleaded internally. _You know each other._

They were mere feet apart, just looking at each other. Jason was pretty sure Percy wasn’t even _breathing,_ but he couldn’t tell what Annabeth was thinking through her poker face. She looked Percy up and down once. She glanced at his trident, and then nodded once. 

“You are,” she said, voice soft. " _Exactly_ as I expected you to be.”

It was an insult. That processed in Jason’s mind slowly: that was an _insult._ Because Annabeth had been expecting a fraud. 

She turned away, face twitching like she was trying to hold back a snarl. Percy took a step forward, like he was going to try to say something, but Frank put a hand out, stopping him. "Not now," Frank advised, voice firm. “Try to fix it later. But not now.”

Percy looked down at his foot, like it'd betrayed him. He forcibly stepped back into line, straightening his shoulders. “There’s nothing to be fixed.”

Jason’s heart broke for him, and he bit his lip, trying to keep the words to himself. _I’m sorry. I’m so sorry._

There wasn't enough concealer in the world to hide the heartbreak on Percy’s face.

***

When Jason managed to pull himself back into reality, a few moments had passed. He blinked. Well, that was new. 

Annabeth, Piper, and Leo were bowing, not kneeling, before the praetors, with Annabeth at the forefront. The crowd was shuffling uncomfortably, all muttering and trading opinions on the Greeks stood before them. Jason wasn’t envious; he hated to be scrutinized like that. 

Reyna waited for people to quiet down before saying "Greetings, demigods. Introduce yourselves."

Annabeth started up, her words perfectly even and measured, like she hadn’t just cracked Percy’s heart like a coconut. "My name is Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena. And these are my companions, Piper McLean, daughter of Aphrodite, and Leo Valdez, son of Hephestus. We are here from the Greek Camp Half-Blood to finalize peace between the camps." 

No one responded, as if too afraid to cheer. Annabeth had slighted Reyna by bowing, but she spoke of peace.

"It is our honor to join into this union with you," Reyna announced, forgiving. "Tonight, we will celebrate your arrival to camp, and by the end of the week we will sign the treaty, signifying a new era of peace!" 

This time, the Romans cheered. Reyna knew how to work a crowd. 

Reyna stepped to the side, addressing the crowd directly now. "Romans, you are dismissed back to your duties! Work hard in preparation for tonight's celebrations." 

Octavian, who had previously been standing still and noble, now made eye contact with Jason. He snapped his fingers subtly at his side, and Jason and his teammates approached their praetors.

"Centurian, you and your fellow questers may show our ambassadors to their rooms to refresh before tonight," Reyna ordered, still speaking formally. "When you're done, you will report to the Principia to discuss your quest with me."

"Yes praetor," Jason said, knowing she was speaking to him directly. "Ambassadors, you can follow me."

"Except for you, daughter of Athena," Reyna said, something intense flashing behind her eyes. "You will come with me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter:  
> \- Jason saying goodbye to Camp Half-Blood (and the rock wall-- and acknowledging that he needed to find some way to come back)  
> \- Goodbyes, including goodbyes to Will and Nico and Ares cabin  
> \- Roman ambassadors comparing camps / talking about possibilities if peace treaty goes well (exchange program? younger demigods?)  
> \- Annabeth's pov!! We'll be seeing lots more of this in upcoming chapters :D  
> \- Annabeth talking about the decision to replace Will with Leo for this quest, and her preparedness for if shit hits the fan ("Annabeth was done watching demigods die")  
> \- Annabeth mentally preparing herself to see "Percy" again  
> \- Jason's POV with the Roman's having a dramatic ass welcome back gathering  
> \- Reyna and Percy looking like Snacks  
> \- Percy's new weapon!! (don't overlook this!)  
> \- Jason just generally longing for the two people he was not supposed to kiss in public right now  
> \- the Annabeth/Percy meeting you've all been waiting for  
> \- "There wasn't enough concealer in the world to hide the heartbreak on Percy’s face."  
> \- Annabeth greeting Reyna Wrong  
> \- Octavian calling the ambassadors over and giving them jobs  
> \- Annabeth going for some one-on-one with Reyna
> 
> Long-ass summary, I know, but this was an important-ass chapter and I'm so excited to discuss!!! There are so many important things to discuss too!!! *insert The Office gif of "Oh my God! It's happening!" here*
> 
> Please comment and let me know your thoughts, and have a great day!


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little on the shorter side, and contains only Annabeth's POV. We'll get more reunion shenanigans in the next one, but I think this one stands really well on it's own and has lots and lots of really important things in it! I hope you enjoy!

**Annabeth**

Losing Thalia, being betrayed by Luke, watching Percy die, and now  _ this.  _

Annabeth followed Reyna off the stage and through the crowds of Rome. As they passed, she took note of the way they stared, standing a few feet back like she was something dangerous. She did her best not to look at them, just held her chin high and followed Reyna's purple cloak.

Even then, she could see their faces in her periphery, observe their conflicting expressions, hear their whispers. From what Annabeth could tell, they were gossiping about any number of things: her mother, her sword, her scarring. For a brief moment, she wished she'd worn sleeves-- she tended to do so when away from camp so she wouldn’t have to deal with the staring-- but she made herself bite down that urge. She was here. This was the form she currently resided in, t-shirt and ponytail and scarring and all. Everyone else could deal with it. 

She did her best to block them out, instead focusing on the buildings around her. Camp Jupiter was unlike anything she’d ever imagined. It could hardly even be called a  _ camp:  _ fortress was more like it, if not fully-functioning city-state. The infrastructure was incredible. The architecture was unparalleled. The legion was well maintained and color coordinated. Fuck having a war-- if things came to blows, there wouldn’t be a war between the camps, there’d be a battle.  _ One  _ battle. 

Camp Jupiter would swallow Camp Half-Blood whole and spit out the bones. If given the chance, they would reduce her home to ashes.

_ We’ve faced impossible odds before,  _ she thought.  _ We could do it again.  _

It wasn’t a comforting thought. Annabeth thought back to the Battle of Camp Half-Blood, what it had been like in the midst of the chaos and fighting and death. She remembered the aftermath, where cabin counselors had been forced to take roll. If they didn’t have all their campers, they had to look in the infirmary. If their campers weren’t there, then, well. They had to look at the bodies. 

_ Never again,  _ Annabeth swore. After the war she had kept training, so if this peace treaty went to shit she’d be prepared, but the rest of the camp wouldn’t. One war had done enough to their spirits. Demigods were heroes in training, but that didn’t mean they deserved to see the things they had, to live through the days they did. 

_ This peace treaty matters,  _ Annabeth reminded herself. She hoped beyond hope that the Romans agreed, but it was impossible to ignore the elephant in the room.

The fake-Percy looked so much like the real thing Annabeth had wanted to draw her knife right there, right then, and call it quits. Her friends could finish the quest without her, and when they were done, they could bury her remains. On the tombstone it would read “Annabeth Chase, died age 19 from a mental break caused by seeing someone who looked  _ similar _ to a boy she used to love.”

_ Why would they do this,  _ Annabeth wanted to ask.  _ Why replicate a dead man? Why bring him back?  _

It wasn’t a normal strategy of war, and it threw Annabeth for a loop. What did they hope to accomplish from having a fake-Percy? If they wanted the Greeks to trust them, there were better ways of going about it. If they wanted the Greeks disoriented, however, then they certainly had succeeded. Annabeth’s hands were shaking so badly she worried someone would notice. She was angry, and she was upset, and she was scared. She had hoped the next time she’d see that face it would be in Elysium, but it seemed as though the gods weren’t feeling particularly generous. 

At least she knew it wasn’t Percy. It looked like him, sure-- scarily like him, actually. If Percy had lived to be 19, Annabeth could imagine him looking like this. The more morbid part of her mind wondered how the hell the Romans had replicated him so accurately. They couldn’t have just heard stories about Percy and tried their best, not to have him come out looking like  _ that.  _ They must’ve seen pictures, videos. They must have ransacked Sally Jackson’s photo albums. They must have come into the Athena cabin at night and picked the image of Percy straight from Annabeth’s mind, taking every feature, every freckle, and aging him up 4 years to create… to create  _ that.  _ Automaton, clone, whatever. 

There was something intense in his eyes when Annabeth had looked at him. She only knew one way to describe it:

_ He knows he’s an imposter. _

The legacy of Percy Jackson was one of great adventures, trials, and successes. He was a hero, victorious to the very bitter end. Whoever it was that stood before her-- whatever it was wearing Percy’s face-- was no hero.

Annabeth’s observations were confirmed by the flaws in the Roman's ruse. They may have been able to replicate his image, but they hadn’t been able to replicate the parts that made him who he was. The fake-Percy had been dressed up like some Roman patriot, as if Percy would ever support an authoritarian state. He stood on the stage like he was the praetors' pride and joy, while Annabeth knew about his history with authority figures. And, instead of carrying Riptide, he clutched a trident.  _ Look, he’s a child of Poseidon!  _ The Romans seemed to be saying.  _ Can’t you tell by the shiny trident? We considered sewing little fishes on his toga, but decided that might be too on the nose. But no, this isn’t too much at all!  _

Something about that weapon made Annabeth unreasonably angry. It felt like seeing a movie where the writers hadn’t read the book it was based on. What, the Romans couldn’t even  _ try  _ replicating Riptide? It was the only weapon Percy’d ever used, made even more iconic by its ability to morph into a pen and never be lost. That was one of the reasons Annabeth had a hard time believing Nico’s story about Percy getting captured on the Princess Andromeda for so long: no matter how hard the Titan lord tried, he could never take Percy’s sword away from him for any extended amount of time. He would always have it available to him. Plus, the Princess Andromeda was a boat, meaning Percy’s powers should’ve been stronger than ever there. Annabeth had seen Percy summon hurricanes in the midwest; he could use his powers to escape from a fucking  _ boat on the ocean.  _

There just was no way he’d been captured for so long. There was no way. 

And then there was the bullshit about Percy not coming back to Camp Half-Blood when he ‘escaped’...

The point was, it wasn’t possible. Percy wasn’t alive, and he wasn’t at this camp. It was just a fake. 

_ A realistic fake,  _ her mind offered.  _ But a fake nonetheless.  _

Annabeth wished she had the rest of the day off to tear at her clothes and break some plates or something. She felt right on the edge of a mental breakdown and wanted to get to a private space in order to deal with it, but of course, that wouldn’t be happening anytime soon. Instead of breaking down, Annabeth would have to look the people who did this in the eyes, and thank them for their hospitality.

Annabeth watched Reyna, walking a few paces ahead of her. Minutes before, Annabeth had been surrounded by all of Rome, demigods coming from all sorts of parentage with all sorts of powers, and still, she’d instantly pegged Reyna as her opponent. There was a full senate and two praetors, but Reyna was the one in charge. She would be the key to this alliance-- assuming Annabeth could play nice for long enough to earn her favor. 

_ Fuck. I haven’t played nice with anyone in years.  _

Not for the first time, Annabeth wished Reyna had requested Piper’s presence instead of hers. Piper knew how to use her words, knew how to smile through her teeth. If they were in opposite situations, and it was Piper’s dead lover standing on the dais back there, Annabeth had no doubt that she’d be able to secure peace regardless, weaving her emotions into something productive for her to use. Annabeth didn’t know how to use her emotions like that; she preferred to push them down, ignore them for as long as possible. Now, it was those very emotions that could kill her and everyone she loved. 

Reyna stopped, all of a sudden, and turned to look at Annabeth. “Are you alright?”

Annabeth was immediately on the defensive. What had given her away? Her head was held high, her face blank. How had Reyna known? 

It took a moment too long for her to answer. “Of course.”

Reyna nodded slowly, looking like she didn’t really believe it. Then she gestured with her head. “Come. Walk by my side.”

Annabeth did as instructed. She and the praetor were about the same height, though Reyna looked at least a few years older, probably in her mid-twenties. Annabeth imagined having this sort of power at that age, and couldn’t help the jealousy that flared up inside her. 

Reyna put her fingers to her lips and whistled like she was hailing a taxi. From out of the bushes, two large metallic dogs appeared, one silver and one gold. Annabeth immediately noted their teeth, sharp as razors. If given the command, they could probably tear her apart. 

“These are my puppies, Aurum and Argentum,” Reyna explained. 

Annabeth tried to look unimpressed. She was about to make a sarcastic comment about which was which, when the dogs turned on her, growling and setting her even more on edge. 

“Funny,” Reyna said blandly, “They only do that when someone is lying.”

Annabeth made a face. “I didn’t even say anything. Maybe they’re defective.” 

“Maybe,” Reyna agreed graciously, clearly not believing it for a second. “Okay boys, back off. Give the ambassador her space.”

They obeyed reluctantly, trailing behind the demigods as they walked. “So, what do you think of New Rome?” Reyna asked. 

They were in the camp currently, but Annabeth had seen the city when flying overhead, so she could answer honestly. “It’s beautiful.”

“Jason’s told me about your camp. Demigods separated by godly parent, counselors instead of centurians… it seems like a different world.” She frowned, seeming to think on this. “Not a bad world, though. Just different.”

“It’s been my home since I was 7,” Annabeth offered. “I would do anything to protect it.”

Reyna gave her a knowing look. “I’m sure you would.”

Annabeth was led into an impressive building ringing with columns draped in red fabric. “This is the Principia,” Reyna explained, her tone mildly more professional now. “It’s our main administrative building, and includes the Praetor’s quarters and offices.”

She led Annabeth through, greeting the secretary as she went. Annabeth knew it probably wasn’t intentional, but she felt like she was being mocked. The Big House back at camp hardly counted as an “administrative building”, and even if it was, who was the secretary? Dionysus? It was laughable. 

Instead of going into a sitting room, like Annabeth expected, Reyna took her to a hidden flight of stairs, which led to an upper level. Once there, they exited through a door onto a balcony that ringed the entire building. Reyna closed the door behind them, and Annabeth got the distinct impression they were alone now. People on the ground could see them, but their conversation would be kept private. 

Reyna turned to Annabeth, something serious in her expression, and Annabeth held herself back from reaching for her weapons. She didn’t know what powers Reyna, or any other child of Bellona possessed, but regardless she knew this woman was dangerous. 

“As praetor, I put a lot of thought into mincing my words,” Reyna started, quiet and fast. “I’m not going to do that now, though, because what I’m about to say matters. This moment matters-- for your camp and mine.”

Annabeth swallowed. She had a feeling she knew what this was about. “Say it.”

“You don’t believe the demigod on stage today was Percy Jackson-- or at least, the Percy Jackson you knew. Jason warned me about this, but I thought-- I guess, I was hoping you’d change your mind upon seeing him. But it doesn’t matter. He was on that stage because I thought it would help bring peace to the camps, but clearly it was futile, because you still don’t believe it’s him.”

“I know it’s not him,” Annabeth said. A few feet away, the metallic dogs laid on the floor, and Aurum lifted his head to growl. 

Reyna’s eyes followed the movement, bright with knowledge. “I believe it is him. Look at the dogs, they’re quiet; I’m not lying. I believe it is him.”

“You wouldn’t know.”

Reyna took a step forward. “Wouldn’t I? C.C.’s Spa and Resort, Annabeth. Your boyfriend made a  _ very  _ lovely guinea pig.”

Annabeth sucked in a breath as she realized what Reyna was saying. 

“You were one of Circe’s attendants.”

“Me and my sister, yes,” Reyna confirmed. “And it was you and the boy who destroyed my sanctuary.”

Annabeth’s head spun. It had been so long ago, when Annabeth and Percy were 13, on a quest in the Sea of Monsters. They’d stopped at Circe’s island where Annabeth had been dressed in silks and Percy had been turned into a guinea pig. In the end, Annabeth had turned Percy and a bunch of captured pirates back into humans, and they’d escaped, leaving the pirates to ransack the island and terrorize the women who lived there. At the time, Annabeth hadn’t thought much of the consequences of their actions. And now, she was staring those consequences in the face.

“All of this is to say,” Reyna continued, “I’ve met Percy before-- your Percy, the one who supposedly died. So when a half-crazed son of Neptune wandered into my camp one day, going by that name, I believed him. I believed him because I’d met him before.” Reyna tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, tilting her chin up in challenge. “I don’t need you to believe that it’s really him. But I do need you to believe  _ me.  _ If the Percy down there isn’t who he says he is, then I was misled as well as you.” 

“You’re saying that the fake wasn’t created by Romans,” Annabeth clarified. 

“I’m saying that if he  _ is _ a fake-- which I don’t believe him to be-- then he was made by someone else. I don’t care what you think about Percy Jackson, but I do care what you think of New Rome. We are not your enemies.”

It was a lot to take in, but Annabeth could feel a small stirring of hope. If Reyna was telling the truth, this could be very, very good. Annabeth may have just found herself an ally. 

She turned to look at the dogs, who had been quiet the entire time. Assuming they only growled when someone lied, Reyna had been telling the truth. 

“I have one question,” Annabeth hazarded. “If you recognized the fake-Percy when he entered camp, why did you let him join the legion?”

“If my dogs weren’t here, I would probably lie to you,” Reyna admitted. “But they are here, so I will be honest. I knew the power Percy held, and I had-- and have-- no intention of allowing him to destroy another sanctuary. Better to have him kept within my walls, where I can assign demigods to watch over him and report back to me. I very much believe in keeping your friends close, and your enemies closer.”

“Is that why I’m here?” Annabeth said, knowing she was treading on dangerous waters. She’d insulted the praetor enough already, and yet she kept pushing. 

Reyna held her gaze steadily. “I am here because I want an alliance. That falls under the  _ friends  _ category, in case you were unsure. If you are here as an enemy, then that is your choice.”

“I’m not here as an enemy,” Annabeth said softly, knowing the words to be true. In the small span of time in which they’d talked, Reyna had convinced Annabeth that this alliance was possible. And, if it was possible, then Annabeth would fight for it. 

Reyna took a step back. Annabeth hadn’t realized how close they’d gotten, but now she could feel the tension break as they put their respective masks back on. They were no longer speaking freely. 

“Good,” Reyna said, normal-volume now. “Then we are in agreement. I will keep Percy out of your way. We were planning to make him a bigger part of this peace treaty, but now that we know your feelings on the matter, we’ll try to keep him separate from our negotiations. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” Annabeth confirmed. 

“In that case, we are finished. If you will go downstairs, my secretary can lead you to your quarters to freshen up. Your friends should already be there.”

“Thank you.” The words felt loaded, and Annabeth knew she was thanking Reyna for more than just the directions. Reyna had looked her in the eyes and seen her logic. She didn’t call her crazy, didn’t try to convince her to change her beliefs. She simply got on the same level as her, and Annabeth appreciated it more than words could describe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter:  
> \- Annabeth follows Reyna off the stage and is stared at by the Romans (partially bc of the scarring)  
> \- Annabeth reflects on how Camp Jupiter would kick CHB's ass in a fight ("swallow them whole and spit out the bones")  
> \- She remembers the Battle of CHB / Battle of the Labyrinth and what it was like trying to find her dead siblings  
> \- She reacts to seeing Percy again ("On the tombstone it would read “Annabeth Chase, died age 19 from a mental break caused by seeing someone who looked similar to a boy she used to love.")  
> \- Annabeth reflects on Percy's appearance, how he's stayed the same ("If Percy had lived to be 19, Annabeth could imagine him looking like this. The more morbid part of her mind wondered how the hell the Romans had replicated him so accurately.") and how he's changed (Roman patriot/ praetor's pet / trident)  
> \- The Romans are Fake Fans for not getting riptide right  
> \- Annabeth saying Percy was an imposter, and that he knew it  
> \- Annabeth reminding herself why Percy was totally definitely 100% dead and could not have been on the Princess Andromeda  
> \- Reyna calling over her puppies  
> \- Going up to the balcony to talk about the Real Shit(TM)  
> \- Circe's Island confession   
> \- Reyna admitting that she didn't trust Percy and purposefully kept him close so she could keep an eye on him (casual reminder of _who_ she assigned to keep an eye on him 👀)  
> \- Reyna leveling with Annabeth and telling her that if this Percy was fake, it was made by someone outside of camp, so it shouldn't affect the peace treaty
> 
> Phew! This was a very loaded chapter and it took so much fuckin work, dear lord. Annabeth's particular brand of conspiracy theorist is very hard to write, because it's layered with her own levels of denial and repression and what have you. Ugh. Also, let's hear it for Reyna, the only person who actually believes Annabeth's concerns are valid and who treats her with respect. 
> 
> PLEASE comment and let me know what you thought, and have a wonderful day!


	31. Chapter 31

**Frank**

“So, when am I gonna get to meet the Voltron kids?” Leo asked, rubbing his hands together. 

They were walking through the camp, on their way to the ambassador’s quarters. Currently, it was just the four of them, as Jason had begged off early. He’d seemed notably more overwhelmed than the rest of them, so Frank and Hazel had told him he could leave early to get his act together before going to see the praetor. 

It wasn’t like leading the Greek ambassadors was a hard task, either. They both had packed light, and seemed hopeful and energetic, like Annabeth had called dibs on being the dramatic one of the trio, so the other two had no choice but to be chill. Frank didn’t mind it even a little-- though he didn’t get what Leo meant by “Voltron kids”. 

“Do you mean the Vulcan kids?” Frank clarified, frowning. 

Piper huffed. “I told you you've been saying it wrong. You owe me a coke.”

Leo was undeterred. “Yeah, but you already owed me like, 50 cokes from that Dylan thing last winter.”

“Fine, now I only owe you 49.”

Frank watched their back-and-forth like it was a ping pong match. He wanted to ask for an explanation, but at the same time he just _knew_ it wasn't worth getting into. "Anyways," he said, interrupting them. "Um, I don't know when you'll meet the Vulcan kids. I don't actually remember if we _have_ any Vulcan kids at the moment. Hazel?" 

She made a face. “Don't look at me, I don't talk to people.”

Leo walked ahead of them, looking at the buildings around like they were his newest playground. “How can you not know if you have any Vulcan kids? We're only like, the coolest demigods out there.”

Frank shrugged apologetically. “Sorry. We're separated into cohorts, not cabins. The biggest reason we need to know who anyone’s godly parent is is so we know who not to date. Which honestly isn't that big of an issue; there's not much of a dating scene here.”

“That's it, we've entered an alternate dimension,” Piper lamented, looking to the sky. “What else will you tell us? That there’s no sing-along at the campfire?”

Frank blinked. “Um.” 

Piper shook her head, like Frank had personally disappointed her. Meanwhile, Leo hadn't moved on yet. "So back to the Vulcan thing--" 

"Some of the engineers are probably children of Vulcan," Hazel offered, saving him. "I mean, there has to be some, right?" 

"Engineers?" Leo said, perking up. 

They had time, so they brought them to the field of Mars, where the engineers were already working on the construction for the upcoming War Games. Frank didn't know what they were building, but something about the setup made Leo whoop with excitement. He immediately took off, scaling the nearest piece of machinery to talk to the person at the top while the others hung back. 

"Is he always this energetic?" Hazel wondered aloud, bewildered. 

"Not always," Piper answered casually. "He just gets really hyped over his special interests, which includes pretty much the entire engineering field." 

"You know a lot about him,” Hazel noted. “You guys are close?" 

"Oh, we're practically siblings," Piper agreed. "We met two years ago at this weird military school and became fast friends when he broke up a bad date I was on." 

"What was so bad about the date?"

"It was with a guy," Piper said, pretending to gag. "He was also just generally being a racist pig, and Leo did this stuff with the restaurant tv's to make them say-- you know what, it's not important. The point is, the guy stormed out, and Leo and I became fast friends." 

Frank watched as Leo whooped with joy and jumped down from the machine, which was over 8 feet high. He did a parkour-landing, then sprinted over to where a couple of the engineers were clustered around a hundred meters away. Frank couldn't hear the conversation, but he could see Leo talking excitedly. Based on his extensive gesturing, he was either talking about their arrival at Camp Jupiter, or explaining how to build a missile. Whatever he said, it was good, and a minute later he was bumping fists and laughing with the others. 

"How in the world did he do that?" Hazel asked, completely bewildered. Frank felt the same way; it had taken him years to find close friends at camp, and Leo had apparently done it in 30 seconds. 

"He can be shockingly likeable when he tries," Piper said dismissively. "Plus, he loves his siblings. He and Beckendorf act like they've known each other all their lives. He was really excited at the prospect of meeting more." 

He certainly _seemed_ excited. As Frank watched, Leo nodded vigorously in response to one of the things one of the girls said, then moved to look over a set of blueprints with them. 

"If we need to get going, I'd tell him now," Piper warned. "The more you let him get into it, the harder it’ll be to pull him away." 

"I mean, we didn't have anything else scheduled for this afternoon," Frank said, looking to Hazel for backup. "We could probably just leave him to it, assuming that’s cool with the engineers?" 

Hazel considered this. "Yeah, that works. Do you want to ask them?" 

“Sure, be right back." 

He jogged over to where everyone was gathered around the blueprints, mentally cursing his armor for slowing him down. He wished he could turn into a bird and be there in three seconds, but alas, he was still hiding his powers. _I've got to rectify that,_ Frank noted, tabling it to deal with later. 

He pulled one of the engineers aside and got him to agree to keep an eye on Leo, who was already in his own world, writing math equations on the drafting paper. Yeah, he’d stay entertained for a while.

"Success," Frank announced as he jogged back. "Do we need to find Venus kids now?" 

"It’s alright,” Piper promised. “I think I’m ready to see the barracks.”

***

They lead Piper to the Third Cohort's barracks, where a triad of rooms had been set aside for them. They made sure Piper had everything she needed before leaving, heading back to their own barrack.

Frank and Hazel walked in comfortable silence. Frank had carried one of Hazel’s bags for her, so he followed her to her room to drop it off. She led him inside, and without meaning to Frank went _"Oh."_

He hadn’t been in Hazel’s room since before she decorated, so he was surprised to see the colorful bedspread, artfully arranged string lights, and the sunset of posters on the wall. “Wow, you really cleaned this place up.”

“Thanks,” Hazel said. She went around turning on her lamps and string lights instead of the harsh overhead light, and then sat down hard on her bed. 

Frank was still in awe, looking around. Hazel was a naturally reserved person, so it was hard getting inside her head sometimes, knowing what she was thinking or what she wanted. Maybe it shouldn't have been a shock to see her room-- vibrant, colorful, homely-- but it was. 

Frank realized Hazel was stripping off her armor, and started to do the same. He figured he could just ask for a bag to carry it back in, but if they were going to talk first, he wanted the armor off. Shit was _heavy._

“So,” Hazel said eventually, leaning over to undo her leg-greaves. “Our quest is over."

"It is," Frank agreed, though secretly he was unsure. Technically now that they were back at camp, the literal 'quest' was done with, but Frank got the feeling their role as ambassadors had just begun. “Piper and Leo seem nice. A little weird, maybe.”

"That's just Greeks for you," Hazel agreed, standing. "Can you help with my shoulder guards?"

Frank did, clumsily helping her undo the straps. There was something that had always seemed weirdly intimate about helping with her armor, but maybe it was just in his head. He didn’t feel this way when helping any of his other friends with their armor-- only Hazel. 

"Wanna hear something funny?" she asked, unaware of his current train of thought. "Leo looks almost _exactly_ like the first boy I ever kissed.”

Frank laughed, finishing up with her shoulder guards. "Seriously?" Leo was a shrimp-- Hazel was _definitely_ out his league. Well, she was out of most people’s league, but that wasn’t the point.

"Yeah, seriously," Hazel said, smiling too. "The guy’s name was Sammy. Sit down, I’ll get your shoulder guards next.”

Frank did as she requested, contemplating “Huh, Sammy. Last name?”

"Never learned it," she admitted. 

"You kissed a guy when you didn't even know his last name?"

"Hey, you can't act like that's weird. I'm pretty sure Jason's made love with people whose first names he didn't know." 

Frank cracked up, craning his neck so he could see her face. "'Made love'?"

"Fine, had sex with," Hazel said. Frank wasn't positive, but he thought she was blushing. 

"You can just say fucked." 

"I cannot," Hazel argued. "I'm pretty sure if I said that word one of the nuns would appear from my old school and hit me across the knuckles." 

"Come on, what's the harm?" Frank goaded. "No one's around to hear. You really don't cuss?" 

"I cuss in Latin," she defended. "And in my head. Sometimes I cuss when I'm training, but I try to be quiet about it." 

She made Frank look forward again so she could get the other side of his armor, and he did, smiling all the while. "That's so cute." 

"I'm a child of Pluto," Hazel threatened. "I'm not _cute."_

 _You're fucking adorable,_ Frank wanted to argue, but he bit his tongue, holding it back. "Agree to disagree." 

Hazel finished with his shoulder plates, and they went back to work on the rest of their armor, helping each other out where needed. When they were done, Hazel gave Frank a bag for his stuff, and then flopped on her bed. "I'm exhausted." 

"We've got time before the party," Frank reminded. "Take a nap." 

"I think I'll have to," Hazel admitted. 

"Take the nap before the nap takes you." 

"Hmpf." Hazel rolled over onto her stomach, her feet still hanging off the bed, and Frank realized she was still wearing her boots. 

"At least take your shoes off if you're going to sleep," Frank complained. 

"No energy. They can stay on." 

Frank swatted at her ankle, and then took her boot in hand, starting to undo the laces for it. Her laying on her stomach made it more difficult, so once Frank managed to work the first boot off he said "Come on, flip over." 

Hazel made a few muffled noises of complaint into her pillow, and Frank rolled his eyes. Since she wasn’t going to be helpful, he grabbed her ankle and flipped her over that way, causing her to bounce a little, looking surprised. "Wow, okay Hercules." 

"You're like 5'3," Frank pointed out. "It's not that impressive." 

"Whatever you say."

He got her other boot off and set them aside for her, making sure both were standing up nicely. He slung the bag with his armor over one shoulder and then, without any more excuses to keep him here, said "Get some sleep?"

Hazel was looking at him, head cocked to the side. He wanted to shift under the scrutiny, but also wanted to hold still, let her take her time in seeing whatever it was she was trying to see. 

She blinked, and looked away. "Sleeping is what I'm best at. And thanks for getting my shoes for me." 

Frank shrugged, saying a quick "What are friends for?" before leaving, closing the door quietly behind him. As he walked back to his room, things felt quieter than usual, like his body had gotten used to being around Hazel all day that now it didn't know what to do. 

***

**Jason**

Jason marched into the _principia,_ standing tall despite his heavy armor. Unfortunately, he knew it wasn’t just the armor weighing him down. 

The secretary, Lily, rose as Jason approached. At first he thought it was for him, but then she turned, greeting Reyna and Annabeth as they entered from one of the hallways. 

“Please escort Annabeth to the ambassador's quarters,” Reyna requested, and Lily ducked her head respectfully, leading Annabeth off. They passed Jason as they went, and Annabeth flashed Jason a quick, unreadable look. Jason gritted his teeth. At camp, his annoyance with Annabeth had lessened over time, but now that she’d been so cruel to Percy, it seemed to have all come back. 

“Centurian,” Reyna called over her shoulder as she retreated back the way she came. Jason hurried to catch up with her, noting the formal title she’d used. It seemed that, for the moment at least, he was here in the role of officer, not the role of boyfriend. 

_Boyfriend._ He didn’t actually know if he was allowed to use that word; he’d thrown it around back at Camp Half-Blood just to avoid confusion, but he still was unsure. Seeing Reyna up on stage like that, so intense and serious, had given him doubts. He knew what _he_ wanted, but he couldn’t tell if she still felt the same. 

He followed Reyna, her purple cloak billowing behind her. She was walking faster than usual, probably working off excess adrenaline. Jason couldn’t imagine that her conversation with Annabeth had been passive. Still, it felt like a struggle to keep up. His muscles were sore; he was tired. He hadn’t been sleeping well in the past few days, even before Thalia showed up. Leading the quest had been a lot to bear. 

_Why am I even here,_ Jason thought. He imagined the look on Percy’s face when Annabeth rejected him, imagined Thalia’s grin as she told him the truth of where he came from. _What am I doing here? Why do I bother?_

Reyna opened the door into her private sitting room, and Jason entered, letting her close it behind them. He mentally prepared for her to start firing questions at him about the quest, demanding a full conclusive report he wasn't ready to give. Right now that sounded like his own personal hell, so it was with great trepidation that he turned to her, preparing for the worst, when she stepped forward and kissed him. 

It took him aback, so much so that he literally took a step back. Then he regained his bearings and pressed forward, cupping her cheek in his hand as he kissed her back harder. She met his intensity, and they clung to each other, taking little steps as they kissed, unbalanced but too needy to slow down or stop. Finally, Reyna grabbed Jason by the shirt collar and pulled him backward, still kissing. She sat down on the couch and he followed, half falling on top of her as he planted his knees on either side of her thighs. They kissed again, and again, and then Jason pulled back, tucking his face by her neck. 

“Well look at that,” Reyna said, voice soft. “It looks like I missed you after all.”

Jason laughed breathlessly against her neck. Already, he felt lighter. “Looks like it.”

He shifted, sitting back so he could meet her eyes. She searched his face, looking for something. 

"You seem stressed," she said finally, and he huffed.

"Only a little," he lied. 

"Anything in specific you want to talk about?" 

That mental image flashed before his eyes again: Thalia grinning from ear to ear, delighted to finally have answers to the questions Jason never knew he was supposed to be asking. He felt the pain again, as if from a physical wound: the pain that came from a lifetime of displacement, never belonging anywhere at all. Thalia’s presence had been a reminder of that life, and a reminder of how little Jason had fought against it. 

_I didn’t fight then, but I can fight now,_ Jason thought. _I don’t have to be complacent to the life that’s before me._

Earlier, that had meant rejecting the praetorship. It also meant fighting back against that golden boy image-- letting himself kiss Percy in front of a crowd, letting himself go all out with Capture the Flag, letting himself be harsh with Annabeth. They were all tiny rebellions. And he had another rebellion in store, the type of rebellion that came from being notably anti-Roman, the type of rebellion that came from reaching his full potential-- no more holding back. 

_Anything in specific you want to talk about?_ Reyna’d asked. She’d meant in terms of being stressed, asking if there was anything he wanted to get off his chest. And sure, there were answers he could give-- he still hadn’t told her about Thalia-- but he chose a different route instead. 

“Let’s talk powers training,” he said, hoping his inner-conviction came through with his words. “You said you had books for me?”

“That I do,” Reyna said. Jason rolled to the side, letting her get off the couch and retrieve some things from the other side of the room. She came back with a stack of books, which she handed out to him-- published works from the University talking about the best ways to train one’s powers, and why it was important. Powers training wasn’t taboo by any means, it just wasn’t traditional, especially given that so much of the legion consisted of powerless legacies. 

Reyna gave him other books too, books about New Rome, its policies, its leadership. “Give those a chance too. You can never be too informed.”

“They might come in handy,” Jason agreed. “Do you give all of your centurions assigned reading?” 

“Only the ones I like,” Reyna promised. 

Now that Jason wasn’t so stuck in his own mind, he could pay more attention to Reyna. She wasn’t a very expressive person, so it had taken him a while to learn to read her, but now he was able to do a decent job of it. She sat back down on the couch, leaning her elbow on the armrest, lips pressed together as if thinking.

Jason put his stack of reading aside. “How’d stuff with Annabeth go?”

Reyna rubbed her temples, stressed just thinking about it. “About as well as I could hope for. But she doesn’t believe it’s him.”

“Nope,” Jason agreed. 

“You think it’s him, don’t you?” There was something vulnerable to the question, like she was admitting she had doubts. Jason took her hand, rubbing his thumb against her skin. 

“I wouldn’t know one way or the other,” he admitted. “But I believe that everything he’s told me is the truth. And I’m pretty sure he’s not a robot.”

“I mean, you would know.” Reyna said, flashing him a teasing look. Jason groaned, hiding his face against her shoulder. “Annabeth has a way to her that’s hard to explain. I’m still trying to figure it out.”

“What do you mean?”

Reyna sighed, relaxing more against the couch. “I think it’s her conviction. She believes in herself and her knowledge very intensely. She trusts her instincts. Even if her beliefs are misguided, it’s a very… intriguing trait.”

“Intriguing,” Jason repeated. 

Reyna looked at him, expression unreadable. “Don’t tell me you weren’t intrigued when you first met her.”

“I mean, she dated Percy Jackson. It’s hard not to be intrigued,” Jason replied, though even as he said it he knew it was a lie. At the beginning, he may have been intrigued by her because of her shared history with Percy, but it very quickly became something more. She was an unusual person, the way she bared-all, let the world see her for all of her scars and her anger and her crazy. She flew across the country to tutor her half-brothers, arrived at camp to find important decisions had been made without her, offended some ambassadors, caused a big fuss, then turned around and won Capture the Flag without batting an eye. There seemed to be an understanding between everyone at Camp Half-Blood that she was playing a different game than everyone else-- or at the very least, a different level-- and they accepted it. She was intensely, angrily, powerfully authentic, and it was hard to look away from that kind of energy. 

“With that said, we were able to come to an agreement,” Reyna said, waving her hand dismissively. “I think I’ve gained her trust. She wants to proceed with the peace treaty as planned, just with limited involvement from Percy’s end. All in all, it was a very successful conversation.”

“I’m glad it worked out,” Jason admitted. The peace treaty was important. 

He thought of those memories again of her at Camp Half-Blood. Slowly, he could feel them withering, getting tainted. They didn’t matter as much anymore, now that she’d looked Percy in the eyes and said those words, _exactly as I expected._ It was hard to want to advocate for Annabeth after that. 

“I’m sure things will be figured out eventually,” Reyna said vaguely. “Though I have to say, I’m a little disappointed she and Percy didn’t reunite in a tragic and beautiful scene. And after all the work I put into him too.”

Jason wasn’t very disappointed-- he didn’t like Annabeth breaking Percy’s heart, but he could do without the flowers and violin music. He was so busy thinking about this that it took him a moment to process the other thing Reyna’d said. “Wait, the work you put into him?”

“Practically dragged him to the showers kicking and screaming,” Reyna said, the corner of her mouth tilting up in a grin. “I think we made a bit of a scene. He was more docile after that, let me boss him into dressing up, even held still for long enough to apply concealer.”

“Wait, that was you?” Jason asked. He imagined Percy sitting on Reyna’s bathroom counter in a rumpled toga, grumbled as she dabbed makeup on his under eyes. It was a pretty sweet picture. 

“Who else? Hopefully he’ll get more stable over the next week. I think having friends around does him a lot of good.”

“Thanks for keeping an eye on him,” Jason said, meaning it. Aside from getting Percy ready today, Reyna had also kept an eye on him over the week, making sure he showed up to meals and had someone to be around. It wasn’t a task she’d had to take on, but she had anyways. 

“I was simply fulfilling my duty as praetor,” Reyna said self-righteously. “I swore an oath to protect my legionnaires, and I intend to fulfill that duty. Even with Percy.”

Jason snorted. He didn’t know why Reyna had such a weird distaste for Percy, only knew that it started long before Jason had even gotten to camp. He figured it was probably just that Percy was a trouble-maker, but he wasn’t sure. There felt like there was something that ran deeper than just that. 

“Do you have some sort of history with Percy?” Jason wondered aloud. He wasn’t sure where they thought had come from, but it felt worth verbalizing. “Like, did you ever meet him before he came to camp, or something like that?”

Reyna rested her head against the back of the couch, relaxing as much as she could in her stiff armor. “No. I can’t imagine when we ever would’ve got the chance to.”

“Huh.” Jason shook his head, dismissing the thought. “So, about powers training…” he said, segueing into the new topic. 

“Octavian will give you your updated schedule tomorrow morning,” Reyna promised, voice taking on a more official tone once more. “We worked on the new schedules together. They’re pretty rigorous.”

Jason laughed, momentarily more aware of his sore muscles. “Good to know the grind never stops.”

Reyna smiled mischievously. “You’re a Roman. You can rest when you’re dead.”

“Bold of you to assume I’ll ever die.”

“Bold of you to assume I’d let you.”

Jason leaned forward and pecked her with a kiss. She blinked, pleasantly surprised. “I’m glad you’re back.”

“Me too.” Jason didn’t know what this next week or anything beyond it would hold, but he was excited to see. Somehow, it felt easier to face now than before, but maybe that was just because he had Reyna at his side. No matter what struggles came up, he wouldn’t have to deal with them alone. 

***

**Frank**   
  


Frank was halfway through unpacking his bag when Percy showed up, leaning against the open doorway. “Hey.”

Frank immediately dropped the shirt he was holding and wrestled him into another bear hug. Percy laughed as he did it, making a big fuss about getting crushed, complaining that "You've already collapsed my rib cage once today, you really have to do it again?" but Frank didn't care. 

"We missed you at camp," he said, giving Percy one last squeeze before pulling away. 

"Yeah, I'm starting to get the memo," Percy laughed. The smile didn’t quite reach his eyes, but he put up a good show of happiness. "You wanna tell me about it?"

"Not that much left that I haven't told you over our Iris Messages," Frank admitted. "I wanna hear about your week here, though. No offense, but you look like shit." 

"Really? I thought I looked rather dashing," Percy said blandly, running a hand through his hair. 

He was wearing the same toga from earlier, slightly more rumpled now. His skin was paler than Frank was used to, eyes duller. It was hard to mark the exact changes to his appearance from the last time they’d seen each other, but they were definitely there. Percy seemed smaller somehow. Maybe it was just that Frank had spent so much time around Ares kids, who were all about his size, but he was more aware of the height difference between him and Percy now. There was something about the way he held himself that just seemed… fragile. 

“So what is this?” Frank asked softly, gesturing to Percy as a whole. “Is this a depressive episode, or…”

“Things have just been hitting harder lately,” Percy said, sounding tired more than anything else. “My therapist is out of town for two weeks, which is _fine,_ she deserves a break, but it’s a lot to have it at the same time as you guys going, and everything with the ambassadors…” he bit his lip, cutting himself off. “I get that the peace treaty is important, so I’m trying my best. But thinking about the treaty makes me think about camp, which makes me think about the _campers,_ which makes me think about…”

“Everything,” Frank finished for him. Percy nodded.

“It’s been hard to sleep,” he said quietly. “It’s easier to distract myself during the day, but at night… I can’t control my dreams any more than any other demigod.”

Frank frowned in concern. He knew Percy relived a lot of memories in his dreams, and Percy had plenty of bad memories to choose from. Even his memories from before his capture were tainted-- he couldn’t think of people from his past without thinking about how he’d disappointed them, couldn’t think about his successes without thinking about his failures. It was a miserable way to exist.

“Have you considered turning into a pug?” Frank asked, and Percy snorted. 

“Actually, no. But I’ll keep that in mind.”

Frank went back over to his bag, continuing to unpack. They were quiet for a few minutes, both just processing the day, until Frank found something he’d almost forgotten about. Tucked away underneath his clothes were a small stack of photos. 

Hesitantly, Frank handed them over. Percy’s expression shifted immediately upon seeing them, going somewhere soft and sad. They were the photos from Percy’s room back at camp, ones of him as an angry but confident 15-year old, posing with friends and family. 

“Thanks,” Percy said quietly. Frank almost wanted to apologize. 

Percy flipped to the last one and stared at it for a moment. Frank knew without asking that it was the picture of him and Annabeth, their arms around each other. In it, Annabeth’s head was turned to the side, smiling as she looked up at Percy in delight. 

Frank had taken his time examining the photos earlier, had already planned out his words for this exact moment. “She looks different.”

“I’m not the only one who grew up,” Percy agreed, voice barely audible. He still hadn’t looked away from the photo. 

“Do you miss her?”

That drew Percy back into the present. He cleared his throat, carefully stuffing the pictures in a pocket and looking away. “Nothing to miss.”

“I mean--”

“What do you expect me to do?” Percy said, turning on him. “She doesn’t recognize me. I can’t be mad, because I didn’t want her to. This is exactly what I wanted.”

Frank thought back to the look of despair on Percy’s face upon hearing Annabeth’s words, the way he’d taken a single step forward before pulling himself back in line. Percy was so clearly holding himself back from something big, and seeing it made Frank’s chest ache.   
“I don’t know,” Frank admitted. “It just doesn’t seem fair.”

“I am living breathing proof that life _isn’t_ fair,” Percy objected. 

“I think you should tell Annabeth the truth,” Frank said, finally laying his cards on the table. “You don’t need to give her anything else but the truth. Look, I know you’ve had a shit time of things, but she has too, alright? This war kicked her ass, and losing you was just the cherry on top. If she found out you were still alive, if you could get her to _believe it,_ that would be a victory for her." 

"Not like this," Percy said. He gestured down to himself, as if there was something inherently, visibly wrong with him. "I'm sorry Frank, I really appreciate you trying. But this is my choice." 

Frank clenched his teeth, looking away. He didn’t know what else to say.

"Come on man, don't do that," Percy objected, sounding desperate. "Don't shut me out." 

_I want to. Maybe you need the push,_ Frank thought, though he immediately felt guilty. "I'm not shutting you out. I just think you're wrong." 

"I don't owe anything--" 

"You don't owe anything to me," Frank interrupted, letting just a fraction of his anger show through. "But you owe it to her. Annabeth doesn't deserve this shit."

"Since when are you defending her?" Percy asked, scowling. 

"Since I realized she deserved defending! Look, if you don't want to be Greek anymore, or be around her anymore, that's fine. But she deserves the truth, and to keep it from her would be unjust." 

"Fucking Mars kid, talking about ‘justice’," Percy grumbled. "If you were an Ares kid I bet you'd be on my side." 

"Oh, give me a break," Frank said, rolling his eyes. He didn't know why he was so _upset_ at Percy, especially with how excited he'd been to see him again, but he couldn't help it. He believed when he said that Annabeth deserved the truth from Percy, and he hated watching Percy wallow in his own grief, too afraid to take action. 

He imagined being in love with someone, really in love with them, and being pulled apart by circumstances. He imagined getting the chance to come back together and not taking it. It hurt. He'd had canceled reunions before; he'd said _I love you, I'll see you again_ and had it turn out a lie. He got it. 

"I have the right to the secrets I share," Percy said slowly, carefully. "I'm sorry if you disagree with my decisions. But I can't do anything about it."

"You could _make better decisions,"_ Frank employed, but it was without anger. 

He looked back at Percy and found that he was, rubbing his temple, looking even more tired than before. "That would fix a lot of my problems, wouldn't it?" He asked, eyes downcast. "If I just made better decisions to begin with."

Frank sighed. He’d done his job of playing bad-cop, but now he was over it, and he let his inner nurturer come to the surface and pulled Percy into a hug, wrapping his arms around him. Percy rested his forehead on his shoulder, looking downright defeated. 

"You can make good decisions after the fact too,” Frank pointed out. “It’s not too late to fix things.”

Percy shook his head. “I’ve made up my mind. There’s nothing to fix.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so you guys know, my posting schedule will continue like it's been for the foreseeable future, with around one new chapter a week. I'd post faster if I could, but so far this seems to be what's sustainable in terms of having time to write high-quality content while also staying ahead of my workload! Casual reminder that I spend around 10-15 hours a week writing and I don't get paid for a single second of it, so please, comment! I don't care about kudos of views or anything like that, the thing that really means a lot to me is reader interaction, so please comment and let me know what you thought :) Last chapter was kind of rough for comments-- there were 66% less comments than the one before, a HUGE margin-- so I just wanted to give a casual reminder about how important comments are to me and to my writing process.
> 
> With that said...
> 
> In this chapter:  
> \- "So when am I gonna meet the Voltron kids?" -Leo Valdez  
> \- showing Leo/Piper around camp  
> \- Hazel's newly decorated room and Deep Conversations while removing armor (about Sammy Valdez, swearing, etc) + Frank taking off Hazel's boots for her  
> \- Jason's POV reuniting with Reyna (including kissing plus Jason's painful thoughts about Thalia, thoughts about how using his powers can be an act of rebellion, and Reyna's reaction to Annabeth)  
> \- Jason and Reyna talking (and not talking *side-eyes Reyna*) about their pasts  
> \- Frank's pov talking with Percy (including showing him the pictures, discussing Percy's recent depressive episode, and talking to him about his plans to deal with Annabeth)
> 
> So all in all a very fun chapter :) And don't worry-- denial is only the first stage of grief. Percy still has lots of exciting coping mechanisms to go through ;)
> 
> So, what are your thoughts? What was your reaction to the stuff with Sammy (I approached that topic a little differently than Rick did in the books...)? What did you think about Frank's various scenes in this chapter (with Hazel and with Percy)? And something I especially want to know about-- what did you think about Reyna and Jason's conversation? Please let me know in the comments below!


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What is this? It also feels like... a regular uploading schedule? Who, me? 
> 
> Enjoy the chapter ;)

That evening, a gathering was held outside the steps of the  _ Principia _ , where the ambassadors would be introduced again and the peace treaty would be discussed. Though it wasn't a mandatory event, the majority of the camp had shown up, either because of their genuine interest in politics, or just for the drama of it all. 

Frank was required to attend, even though he wouldn't be going on stage at any point. He knew that despite being back at camp their quest wasn't yet complete, and wouldn't be until the ambassadors were back in New York and the peace treaty was secure. Until then, Frank would be attending every event and doing everything in his power to make sure things went smoothly. 

Hazel and Jason were at the ceremony too, but Frank knew they wouldn't be able to watch with him. Jason had to stand with the centurions, and Hazel's presence had been requested by Reyna personally. Frank wasn't sure what that meant, but he hoped that it had something to do with her status as a  _ probatio.  _ Part of the reason she was on the quest in the first place was to prove her worth as a legionnaire, a task that Frank thought she'd more than succeeded at. So hopefully, she was being recognized for that. 

Though Percy didn’t want to go, Frank still managed to drag him along, saying "You're already dressed; why waste a perfectly good toga?" 

"There's literally no reason for me to go," Percy had grumbled. Octavian had stopped by earlier to let him know he'd been demoted; he no longer was a part of the peace treaty in any official capacity.  _ In fact,  _ Octavian had said,  _ if you'd actually stay out of the way of the proceedings, that'd be great. _

Percy had responded with his favorite line of the day:  _ sure, that's fine, I didn't care anyways.  _

But with all of that said, Frank had still managed to convince Percy to join him at the ceremony. He was pretty sure Percy went because he was trying to be a good friend, but he also thought some of it was stubbornness.  _ Look at how little this treaty is affecting me,  _ he seemed to be saying.  _ Is Annabeth at this camp? Huh, I didn't even notice. _

It was all a lie, of course. Percy's stubborn denial gave Frank a headache, but it was still better than standing alone as he waited for the ceremony to start. 

Frank and Percy were quiet for a few minutes, but once it became clear the wait would be longer than they planned, Frank searched for a safe subject to talk about. It took longer than he would’ve liked, but finally he landed on one. “So, you got a trident?” 

“I did,” Percy confirmed, sounding tired but playing along. “Wanna see?”

Frank agreed, curious. He was just wondering what magical item the trident had been disguised as when Percy pulled out his pen, Riptide. 

“What--” Frank started saying, then Percy flipped the pen in the air. Celestial bronze rods shot out of either side so that when Percy caught it, spinning it around his hand once, it was a 6 foot trident, humming with power. 

Frank tried to close his mouth. “That-- wait, it’s Riptide? How?!”

Percy rolled his eyes. “Of course it’s Riptide. What, you thought Reyna would issue me a new weapon? Unlikely.”

“But-- it didn’t used to do that,” Frank said desperately. Percy fidgeted with his pen a lot, flipping it around his fingers, so there was no way it had always been able to do this.

“It didn’t,” Percy agreed, frowning. “It’s a gift from Neptune. Why he even bothered, I don’t know, but… it’s been nice. I prefer it to the training spear I’d been using.”

“I bet,” Frank agreed. With Percy's permission, he took it from him, feeling it's weight and looking it over in more detail than he'd gotten a chance to before. It was solidly built and heavy, but not so much that it couldn't be thrown. It had three prongs, with the middle one straight, and the outer ones barely curved. The blades weren't barbed, like the type of thing that'd be used for catching fish, but were smooth and angular. 

"Neptune really just gave this to you?" He asked, handing it back. Traditionally, gods only gave gifts to favored children. Frank understood the significance of the phone Mars had given him. But if Percy was as outcast by the Olympians as he seemed to think, it didn't make much sense for Neptune to be doing favors for him. 

"It may have been Poseidon," Percy admitted sheepishly. "I honestly don't know. I just woke up one morning and it was standing there, propped against my nightstand."

"How does it turn back into pen-form?" Frank asked.

Percy showed him, flipping the weapon around his forearm in an exaggerated movement he somehow managed to look graceful. It shrunk mid-swing, landing with ease in his hand, now a pen. 

Frank could've asked more questions, but just then the ceremony began, effectively ending their conversation. 

Percy’s gaze drifted to the stage, where it landed. Any joy he’d managed to grab hold of drained from his face, turning his expression pained and serious. 

Frank squeezed his shoulder, hoping his feelings came across.  _ You'll get through this. It'll be okay. _

The ambassadors and praetors were all on stage, including Annabeth, front and center. Percy's eyes seemed glued to her as his hand traveled up, tracing the lines of her scars on his own arm. He seemed to realize what he was doing and cleared his throat, dropping his hand and looking to the ground.

The ceremony wasn't anything special. The ambassadors were introduced again, and then they gifted the praetors an intricately woven tapestry that was admittedly prettier than the ones the Romans had provided, if less traditional. Frank wondered where they'd got it from-- it looked handmade, so probably not Amazon. Maybe it had been an arts and crafts project? Perhaps they provided every cabin with string, had all the kids come up with ideas, and then selected the best one to give as a gift to New Rome…

Frank liked Camp Half-Blood a lot, but it was thoughts like these that physically pained him. 

After they got more of the formalities out of the way, they spoke of the peace treaty and everything it would mean. It was important stuff, but it was also stuff Frank already knew, so he wasn't especially interested. 

It was a relief when the ambassadors left the stage, and Hazel was brought up. Frank nudged Percy, who blinked back to reality just in time to see Reyna proclaim Hazel’s service on the quest  _ exemplary,  _ and deserving of a full place in the legion. 

Hazel handed over her  _ probatio  _ tablet, and then extended her forearm toward Octavian, who cradled it in his hand. Octavian looked to the sky as he announced “We accept Hazel Levesque, Daughter of Pluto, to the Twelfth Legion Fulminata for her first year of service. Do you pledge your life to the senate and people of Rome?”

Frank couldn’t say for sure, but he imagined those words resonated within Hazel. She had thought a lot about what she wanted to do with her second chance at life, how she wanted to make it worthwhile. And now, she was being asked if she was ready to dedicate it over in service to Rome. 

She didn’t hesitate. “I do.”

The centurians all shouted “ _ Senatus Populusque Romanus!”  _ and Octavian clasped Hazel’s wrist, passing his other hand over her forearm. When he removed his hand, her skin blazed with fire. She didn’t even wince, watching the flames die down with an even gaze. 

Once they were gone, a mark was left in their place, though it was too far away for Frank to see any details. Octavian thrust Hazel’s hand in the air, and the entire crowd cheered. Frank was among the loudest, cupping his hands around his mouth as he shouted “Yeah Hazel!” 

Up on stage, Hazel’s expression was fierce, determined. Frank almost swore he felt a ripple pass through the earth, like it was shuddering, in awe of her power.

_ A legionnaire.  _ About fucking time. 

***

**Jason**

Jason was starting to lose his mind just a little. His afternoon was spent running around doing official centurion-y things, which bled straight into that night’s ceremony. There, he stood with the other senators and tried to look regal and put together, like he didn’t have blisters on his heels and the strong desire to lay on the ground and take a nap. They dealt with the ambassadors, inducted Hazel into the legion (whooooo, Hazel!), and only then was he finally,  _ finally,  _ given a single moment to breathe as they were all herded to the dining hall. 

Jason got caught up in conversation with other centurions as he tried to speed walk toward the dining hall, which slowed him down. One of these days, he needed to learn how to blow someone off-- like, how to dismiss or avoid someone, not  _ that _ , he was perfectly adept at doing  _ that,  _ excellent even, but that really wasn’t the point. The point was, Jason was too polite to say ‘please fuck off, if I don’t sit down in the next thirty seconds I’m going to keel over and die’, and it showed. 

But finally,  _ finally,  _ he was in the dining hall. And there, along with the promise of food and a place to sit, was something else he’d been  _ greatly  _ looking forward to indulging in. 

Jason hugged Percy from behind, resting his chin on his shoulder. “I’d commit war crimes for a slice of pizza.” 

Percy craned his neck to look at him. He was still wearing the toga, which really did look great on him, but the concealer had mostly faded. Percy’s eyebags were dark enough to be of serious concern. 

“I can help,” he offered, voice low. 

“With the war crimes or the pizza?” Jason asked. 

Percy rolled his eyes and shoved Jason onto the couch behind him. He went easily, letting out a quiet huff as he finally got off his feet. 

Percy settled down next to him, sitting criss-cross close enough that their legs touched. Immediately, the wind spirits tossed an array of food on the table-- pizza, milkshakes, fries, the works. Percy grabbed a plate of burgers before it could fall, having been thrown a little too aggressively by the aurae. 

“Funny, they never try to throw my food on the floor,” Jason commented, already going for a slice of pizza. “How does a person make enemies with literal  _ wind spirits?” _

“I don’t know, how does a person not check for traps when playing Capture the Flag?” Percy fired back. 

Jason could feel himself relax as they settled into their normal repertoire. This was something he knew.

“Oh, I’m gonna kill Frank,” Jason said, though he was too focused on eating to really mean it. “I asked him not to tell you.”

“That basically ensures that he  _ will _ tell me. Frank pretends he’s not a gossip, but I think we all know the truth.”

“Did he tell you any of the more embarrassing stuff?” Jason asked, and Percy narrowed his eyes. 

“There’s more?”

Jason grabbed a shake from the table, drinking it quickly. “Nope.” 

Percy gave him a suspicious look, but ended up shrugging, going back to picking at his burger. “I’ll find out eventually.”

Jason hummed in response, ignoring him. As long as no one ever thought to tell Percy about how Jason’d acted under Piper’s love magic-- or the things he’d said about Percy’s  _ eh-hem-- _ he’d be fine. 

For the first time, Jason noticed that the rest of the couches around their table were empty. It was just him and Percy eating junk food and sitting half on top of each other, despite the abundance of space on either side of them. Jason considered scooting away for the sake of decency, but eventually decided  _ fuck it.  _ He went for another slice of pizza, purposefully elbowing Percy in the side as he did it. 

A quick scan of the room showed that their friends were sitting a few couches away, at a full table. Hazel and Frank were joined by Reyna and Octavian, Leo and Piper, Dakota and Gwen. Jason considered going over to say hi to Dakota-- he didn’t see much of him ever since he moved to the city-- but since Annabeth was  _ also _ sitting over there, he ended up deciding against it. 

Percy had also been made aware of Annabeth’s presence, and was now intensely focused on his burger, as if following the  _ if I can’t see her she’s not real  _ principle. It was pretty pathetic. 

“You know, you actually have to  _ chew _ the burger to get any of the benefit,” Jason said in an undertone. 

Percy rolled his eyes, and took a bite of his burger. “There, happy?”

“I haven’t been happy in years,” Jason said dramatically, sprawling back against him. Percy grunted. 

“Hey, that’s my line.”

“Well, I beat you to it,” Jason countered. “Come on, we’re both Gen Z. You think you get to call dibs on being the depressed Nihilistic one?”

“I forgot how much of a dick you are,” Percy commented dryly. “Alright, I think I’m good. You can go back to Long Island now.”

“Nah, I think I’m here to stay,” Jason said. He wiggled around a bit until he could rest his head on Percy’s shoulder, looking up at him. Every few seconds Percy’s eyes darted over to where Annabeth was sitting, though she hadn’t looked at him once. Jason sighed. “So, Romeo. What are your big plans to seduce her?”

“I’m not ‘seducing’ her already, so you guys can all shut up about it,” Percy said, sounding genuinely annoyed. He gave up on his burger and grabbed for a cup of fries, eating them quickly, like he wouldn’t have to talk if his mouth was full. 

Jason huffed. “Yeah right. I saw you on stage, that little step you took. I know you too well to think you won’t say something.”

“Bullshit,” Percy said. He stabbed a fry in some ketchup so hard he smushed it, getting ketchup on his fingers. He wiped them off and kept eating. “I’m perfectly fine just the way things are. I just need to get through this week, and then I’ll be golden.”

“Mm-hmm,” Jason said, watching Percy’s gaze dart to Annabeth once again. “Prove it.”

Percy looked at him then, really looked at him. Sometimes, Reyna looked at Jason like she was reading his mind, but Percy didn’t do that. Instead, it was like he had read Jason’s instructions manual, and knew him inside and out. He didn’t understand what everything Jason did or said meant, but he knew how Jason worked, and that was enough. 

Percy glanced down at Jason’s lips, and didn’t need a second more. He leaned in and they kissed, Percy’s lips warm and still salty from the french fries. The kiss quieted something restless in Jason’s chest, but only for a moment. Then Percy pulled back, and, like he was on a timer, looked to Annabeth. 

Jason huffed, and rested his head on Percy’s shoulder again.  _ Liar.  _

The rejection hurt a lot more than it should’ve, especially because it wasn’t a rejection, not really. It just made Jason think about earlier in the day when they were on stage, and he’d seen Percy’s expression upon looking at Annabeth. At the time, he’d felt awful, as if experiencing Percy’s heartbreak firsthand. But that wasn’t Percy’s heartbreak he’d been experiencing: it had been his own. Because in that moment, Percy had looked at Annabeth in a way that he’d never looked at Jason, and he never would. 

_ This is good,  _ Jason tried to rationalize, even though he knew it was fake.  _ There was never supposed to be anything real between us anyways. My feelings have been getting out of check lately, I already knew that. This is good. This makes it easier. _

_ Fuck,  _ the other, less rational side of Jason’s brain said.  _ Fuck.  _

***

**Frank**

“You incredible, wonderful girl,” Frank said at the first chance he got, dragging Hazel into a hug. “I  _ told you _ you’d be accepted into the legion. I bet it was the easiest decision Reyna made all year. Can I see it?”

They pulled apart, and Hazel yanked up her sleeve, showing him the markings: the letters  _ SPQR,  _ Pluto’s helm of darkness, and a single line representing her first year of service. It was all pitch black, and unlike normal tattoos, would never fade or become discolored. Like Octavian had said, joining the legion was for life. You could retire, but your allegiance remained with the legion. 

“It didn’t even hurt,” Hazel said, eyebrows furrowed. “I mean, it did, but I barely felt it. I don’t know, I just feel so… invigorated, like nothing can touch me. I want to start training as soon as possible.”

“Maybe get dinner first,” Frank laughed, putting an arm around her shoulders. “Let’s find the ambassadors.”

Ten minutes later, they were seated at the dining pavilion, surrounded by friends. The ambassadors joined them, and Piper and Leo fought over a shared plate of vegetarian tacos while Annabeth looked broodingly at a plate of plain chicken, greyish quinoa, and raw broccoli. 

_ I’d be depressed too, if that was my meal,  _ Frank thought, but didn’t linger on it. 

Also at their table was Gwen and Dakota, along with Reyna and Octavian. Not present were Jason and Percy, though Frank took notice of them a few tables away. Though he wished they could eat with them, he acknowledged that keeping Percy and Annabeth separate was in everyone’s best interests, at least for the time being. 

There were a lot of different paths his mind could travel upon at that moment, but Frank chose his favorite. For just a minute, he ignored everything around him, and all of his respective duties, and focused instead on Hazel, who’d been quiet for the past few minutes. 

“So,” he said, voice low. “Any regrets?”

She looked at him, and once again he was taken aback by her intense golden eyes. “Not one,” she said, shaking her head. She stabbed a piece of pasta. “This is where I belong. There’s nothing more to it-- I’m going to do great things, and no one is going to stop me.”

For just a moment, an image flashed before Frank’s mind-- feeling himself sinking into the mud, like an invisible fist dragging him into the earth. He’d felt firsthand how powerful Hazel could be, and it had terrified him.  _ I’m going to do great things, and no one is going to stop me.  _

_ I believe it,  _ Frank thought. “Yeah, well. I’m glad you’re on our side.”

Hazel snorted, almost choking on her pasta. “Hey, I’m glad you’re on my side too. Together, who knows what we’ll be able to do.”

“A Son of Mars who can shape-shift, plus a daughter of Pluto who can manipulate the earth,” Frank mused. “Not the most likely combination.”

“We’ll make it work,” Hazel said, sounding completely sure of herself. “Come on, this is my second chance at life; I’m not going to get another. I want to make some waves, are you with me?”

Frank looked at her sincere expression, felt the intensity behind her words, and thought  _ this matters. This moment right here-- it matters.  _

He swallowed. He didn’t know what the future held, didn’t know how long he’d live or how long he and Hazel would be friends for. Things could change; when he was a kid he thought he knew what the world had in store for him, and then he learned he was a demigod, and then there was a war, and then he found out there was another camp… already, his life had been full of twists and turns he never could’ve predicted. 

There was no controlling what his future looked like. But he could control who he spent it with. “Yeah,” Frank said, his heart swooping in his chest. “I’m with you. Let’s make some waves.”

They fist-bumped-- casual, friendly, platonic, and yet somehow it managed to feel like a binding seal. 

Hazel said that her allegiance was to New Rome. Frank had said the same, years ago when he got his own tattoo. It may have been true at the time, but it wasn’t true anymore. Frank’s allegiances were to his friends. If Hazel stood up right now and walked across the camp border, Frank would be following right after her.

***

**Jason**

For all their talk, Jason and Reyna’s walk ended up not being very long. They went to the Garden of Bacchus and talked for a while, sitting by the fountain, but soon it became clear that Jason was too exhausted to put his best foot forward in the conversation. 

“Alright, I’m calling it,” Reyna said finally, standing up with an air of finality. “You need to go to bed.”

Jason wanted to object, but also knew better than to. He’d been dragging on his feet all day, and Percy’s pseudo-rejection earlier hadn’t made things any better. It felt like everything was all becoming too real too fast, and he just didn’t have the strength to deal with it. “Okay. I’m sorry.”

“You’re fine. Besides, I had fun,” Reyna said, pulling Jason to his feet. “Are you sleeping in my bed tonight, or your own?”

Jason thought wistfully of Reyna’s bed, which was a luxurious California King worthy of a praetor-- but he had to shake his head. “My bed. Or actually, the couch outside my room.”

Reyna gave him a pitying look. “Percy?”

“He hasn’t slept in days, you can’t tell me any different,” Jason said, rubbing his temples. “It’s probably because of the nightmares, and I  _ know _ he doesn’t have them as much when he sleeps with other people. I’m sorry.”

“I’ll live,” Reyna promised. “Besides, you’re just doing your duty as centurion, looking out for your legionnaires. I can’t exactly get mad at that.”

_ Yeah, I’m looking out for him because he’s my legionnaire, no other reason,  _ Jason thought bitterly. He knew that’s not what she meant though-- Reyna had a tendency to distance herself from Percy using her language, calling him a  _ legionnaire,  _ a  _ Son of Neptune,  _ anything to keep him confined in a nice, tidy little box she could control. Jason had never gotten why, but he thought he was beginning to understand. 

They walked back to the barracks together, hand in hand. Jason reminded himself of the other day when he’d sat on the beach alone, and felt a little better. Reyna’s presence now was reassuring, like there had always been a space for her in Jason’s life, and her being here now filled that space perfectly, making everything seem just a little more balanced.

They kissed outside the barracks, and then Reyna left to go to her quarters in the  _ Principia,  _ leaving Jason’s hand feeling simultaneously warm and empty. 

Inside the barracks, the couches had already been pushed together, and Frank and Percy were sitting in their pajamas arguing about something. “Hey guys,” Jason said, dropping onto the couches beside them. 

“Hey,” Frank greeted. “Hot date?”

“The hottest,” Jason agreed dryly. “If I’m not asleep within the next half-hour, I think I’m literally going to die.”

“Oh no,” Percy said in a sing-song, “But if you died, there’d be no one left who could beat me in a sword fight. What a shame  _ that _ would be.”

Jason slapped him playfully. “I hope I contribute more to your life than just that.”

“I mean, thanks to you I have a bunch of really nice Camp Jupiter shirts, so…”

Jason cut him off with a yawn. “Are you guys going to bed now, or talking for a bit first?”

“Talking, I think,” Frank said. “But--”

“You have fun with that,” Jason encouraged, already laying down. “I’m done existing today, though.”

Frank was sitting criss-cross on the couch, so Jason used his thigh as a pillow, pulling a blanket up to cover the rest of his body. Frank seemed a little surprised by this-- which was fair, they typically weren’t this close-- but must have decided it was alright, and patted Jason’s head affectionately. “Okay. Goodnight.”

“Night,” Jason agreed, closing his eyes. He felt Percy shift, climbing over to join them, but if he said goodnight, Jason didn’t hear it. Within seconds, he was out, sleep consuming him whole. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter:  
> \- Frank and Percy went to the ceremony   
> \- Percy revealed the truth about his trident (including how he got it)  
> \- The Greeks give the Romans a cooler tapestry   
> \- Hazel was accepted as part of the legion  
> \- Jason's pov with being an overworked centurion and eating junk food with Percy   
> \- Oh also: Jason's lowkey rejection / heartbreak  
> \- Also the "How does a person make enemies with literal wind spirits?” line, but that's less important  
> \- Frank's POV talking with Hazel and realizing where his allegiances lie'  
> \- Jason's walk with Reyna and couch cuddle time
> 
> Please comment and let me know what you think! These last few chapters have been a chance to slow things down a bit, but things will be speeding up soon ;) After all, we can't make this peace treaty _easy_ , now can we?


End file.
